


Life in Dreamland

by KirbyWrites



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Baking failures, Blood and Violence, But I'll probably include that later, Cake, Chaos, Cold stuff, Cute Waddle Dees, Dedede has a bit of a backstory, Epic Yarn, Fluff, Gijinka, He loves mischief and watching people suffer, Inspired by slappys-kirby-art's pictures, Magolor is a cat CONFIRMED, Marx is a bastard mischief causer, More Kirby Epic Yarn, Multi, Old memories, Reminiscing, Slice of Life, The Meta/3D/Kirby family, a little bit of cursing, amazing mirror aftermath, and dedede taking care of him like usual, and that's only with an ability, and they always get into arguments on who can main him the best, being possessed isn't good, both mk and ddd have nightmares, dmk is soft under his cold exterior, epic yarn mentions, especially when marx is involved, he smol bat and he no like, i guess that's how he stayed in the air in all his fights with nightmare, i'm aware i've written sickfics many many times, i'm pretty sure none of them can bake except for kirby, just don't let anyone know, kemco reference, kirby can get wings from the star rod too, mainly because of their trauma, meta being the lil' sick bat he is, meta hates the cold, minor mentions of torture, mirror world fluff, mk's birthday!, more metadede, my tumblr hc, nightmare is a cruel bitch, nightmare's base, other relationship and character tags to be added, picnic date, sad lonely spidey boi, shadow kirby deserves more love, shitpost, so ddd keeps him warm, the meta-knights play smash ultimate, there is not enough sick fluff in this fandom and i must change that, tumblr-inspired, very rushed chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2020-06-25 11:44:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 45,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19745071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirbyWrites/pseuds/KirbyWrites
Summary: Peaceful as always... or is it? There's a lot more going on in Dreamland than you think!





	1. Sweet Tooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight thought that the fact that he liked sweets was subtle. Clearly not as subtle as he thought.

“Hey Meta, why do ya like sweets so much?” It was meant to be a genuine question, but Meta Knight was taken aback. Almost no one knew he loved sweets, and those who did tended not to question it. 

“I- wh- you-” Meta Knight stammered. “How- I mean, Your Majesty, why would you think that I, of all people, like sweets?” It was a fruitless effort, and the knight knew it; Dedede was one of the few people who knew his secret.

The king sighed. “Well, let’s see ‘ere, Meta. Ya have a jar o’ candy in yer room, I’ve personally seen ya eatin’ a parfait at 2 AM, and yer personal fridge is chock full o’ chocolate lava cakes an’ ice cream. And don’t think I forgot the Halberd! I just left it out.”

“Th-that’s hardly good evidence, sire, y-you know I only keep those there for Kirby-”

“Cut the chatter, Mety. I know all them sweets are yers already. I just want to know why ya keep ‘em.” 

“I keep those sweets because I like eating them,” Meta Knight blurted out, hoping it would be enough to answer Dedede’s question.

“That much was obvious! Now why do ya like eatin’ sweets?”

The knight turned the question over in his mind. “I like sweets because… well, they’re delicious… and they help me relax… it’s just hard to explain. Asking why I like sweets would be like asking why Kirby likes fruit.” The puff blushed, and Dedede laughed at seeing his little knight so flustered. 

“Let's cut straight to it. Ya have a sweet tooth, don’t ya?”

Meta Knight sighed defeatedly, throwing his arms in the air. “Fine. Yes, I have a sweet tooth. Happy?”

Dedede chuckled. “Quite.”


	2. Dragon Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four dragon heads, four Popstar residents that saved the universe. 
> 
> AKA Landia splits up and visits each of the KRtDL squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Landia would really enjoy visiting Popstar in her free time. She's a good character and while I've never written her before, she probably talks formally and likes helping people, especially the ones who beat Magolor. 
> 
> I also hc that Landia can talk telepathically because of Halcandran magic.

Kirby was happily munching an apple on a warm summer day. Apples were the best, but then there were sweet, juicy watermelon slices- oh, and the parfait that Meta Knight would let him have sometimes when he was riding the Halberd!

The child squealed delightfully as he imagined all the food there was in the summer. He took another bite of his apple before seeing that there was a caterpillar inside. Kirby squeaked in fear, throwing the apple down the hill, and huddled closer to the tree. He couldn’t believe he’d almost eaten a bug…

There was a burst of light in the sky and four trails of light spread out into the sky. Kirby stared up at it, still hugging the base of the tree. _Stay calm, child. It’s just me._ He perked up as a voice rang out in his head. It wasn’t the same as Galaxia’s; Meta Knight’s sword didn’t talk like that, nor would she have called him “child”. The young puff turned around to find a red dragon with pink horns and a crown on her head, a crown that Kirby remembered all too well.

_You remember me, child? I fought with you._

“Landia poy!”

_Yes. I am the one who carried you to your final match._

“Landia still have Mastah Crown?”

_Well, someone has to keep it safe. Speaking of safe…_ Landia flapped her wings and gently picked an apple from the tree. She kept it in her mouth and circled back around in front of Kirby. Landia dropped it in front of him and smiled as much as a dragon could.

_Keep this apple safe, yes? Don’t throw it down the hill like you did the last one._

“Poyo!” Landia settled down next to the pink puff and closed her eyes to sleep. A few minutes later, the apple core lying by his feet, Kirby joined her as well.

* * *

“We’re busy, they said,” Meta Knight grumbled, flying up to the top of the Halberd. “Why don’t you do it yourself today, they said. Sometimes I just don’t know what gets into them…”

The knight soared to the Combo Cannon and sat down on the wooden deck, leaning against the base of it; the heat of summer was really getting to him. He picked up the bucket and mop and moved to a shadier, more hidden area behind the cannon before unclipping his mask and setting it down beside him.

There was no way he could mop down the entire battleship in just one day without the help of his crew, and in his armor, he knew he’d likely collapse from the heat before even half the job was completed. “How am I ever going to wash the Halberd by myself…” He sighed.

_Say, do you need help with cleaning?_ Meta Knight jumped up and away from the cannon; he grabbed his mask and quickly clipped it back on, ignoring how hot the action made him. He drew Galaxia and held it out in front of him.

_Galaxia, was that you?_

_You do realize that I couldn’t help you with washing the Halberd if I tried, dear heart?_ Galaxia’s voice was skeptical, as if she had to make sure that her champion had just asked that question.

The knight looked around. _Then who else could it be if it wasn’t you, Galaxia?_

_Behind you._ Meta Knight whirled around to face the cannon and spotted the red, pink-horned dragon hidden in the shade. He stumbled backwards in surprise, taking a few minutes to collect himself.

“You’re Landia, correct? And if I had to guess which one of the four, you’re the one that carried me when we fought Magolor,” the knight said. 

_Yes, I am. Your intuition is quite amazing. I can see why you’re the best knight in Dreamland._

“T-thank you!” Meta Knight blushed at the sudden praise, but he quickly recovered his cool demeanor. “So what did you come here for, Landia?”

_I was originally just going to visit, but it seems you need some assistance with washing down your battleship._

“I… actually, yes I do. My crew refused to help me today, Nova knows why, so now I’m stuck with cleaning the entire thing.”

_Get me another mop, and I’d be very glad to help you._

“You really don’t have to, Landia! I understand if you can’t-”

_But I can. And if I must leave before the job is complete, I will at least have helped you a little._

Meta Knight thought it over for a while, then smiled underneath his mask. “Well, if you can, then I’d greatly appreciate it! And perhaps you can stay for ice cream after.” He pulled a spare mop from the folds of his Dimensional Cape and handed it to the dragon, who took the handle in her mouth. The two spread their wings, glanced at each other, and took off from the deck.

* * *

The boxes were piled much higher than Bandanna’s line of vision, so all he could see was cardboard and tape. His paws wavered as the boxes swayed in one direction, then the other; the Dee skittered back and forth to make sure they kept their balance.

It was tiring work- not to mention that the room that these boxes were bound for was a long way away from the delivery room where they’d been received. Finally, he set the stack of boxes down on a balcony and tiredly took off his bandanna.

“Sir Meta Knight sure does get a lot of stuff,” Bandanna Dee sighed, taking in the view of Green Greens from where he was. “And what’s scary is that they know exactly where he lives in the castle. I don’t know much about these f… fan… fangirls, I think, but they sure do seem to obsess over Meta Knight a lot. Well, time to get going!” The Dee tied his bandanna back on his head and picked up the boxes again, hoping he could get to the knight’s room before they fell over. Then his paws wavered again and he could barely go another step before he put them down again.

“And of course whatever these fangirls get Meta Knight just has to be heavy…” Bandanna groaned, stretching his paws. He was about to reach over and pick up the boxes again when they picked themselves up. The Dee squeaked and stumbled backwards, grabbing his spear from the sheath on his back and holding it out.

_At ease, young Dee. Just me._ Bandanna looked behind the haphazardly stacked boxes and spotted the dragon.

“Landia! I didn’t know you came to visit,” Bandanna Dee gushed, straightening his bandanna and relaxing the paw holding his spear. “Thank you for picking up the boxes for me!”

_It was nothing. Who is all this stuff even for?_

“It’s for Sir Meta Knight! He gets a lot of gifts from these so-called ‘fangirls’. Since you know a lot of stuff, Landia, can you tell me what fangirls are?” Landia’s eyes widened, and she shuddered, the boxes atop her threatening to fall over again.

_Perhaps it’s best that you don’t know. Let’s just get these delivered._

* * *

“Man, the Dees sure made me a ton o’ food today…” Dedede exclaimed, a wide grin on his face as he surveyed the lunch menu. “Good thing Meta ain’t around, or he’d scold me for eatin’ this much.”

The king dug in, furiously eating the various dishes his Dees brought out one by one. He had to admit, the Waddle Dees in the kitchen had really outdone themselves this time. The food was both delicious and finely crafted; heck, one of the Dees had even made a miniature of Castle Dedede!

Dedede poked it with his spoon, then scooped the entire thing up and ate it. Then he noticed something weird as he kept eating. The dishes were coming in half-eaten, as if someone outside were taking bites of every dish that came in.

Soon enough, they came in empty, and the Dees, seeing as the plates were on their heads, had no idea that the food was missing until they tried setting it down. Once they saw the plate was empty, the Waddle Dees looked startled, then profusely apologized before running back to the kitchen. After a few minutes of empty plates coming into the room, the king stood up and stormed outside.

“Alright, no one eats my food an’ gets away with it!” He shouted, pulling out his hammer. The Dees near the doors backed away instinctively. Everyone in the kingdom knew not to cross paths with a furious, hammer-wielding King Dedede, especially when food was involved. 

“Who’s out there eatin’ my-” The king’s enraged shouting abruptly ended when he found Landia sitting on the carpet, licking the last bits of food off her. 

_Ah. That was your food? Greatest apologies; I was merely hungry._ Dedede nearly dropped his hammer in shock. There was a talking dragon. On his carpet. That had been eating his lunch. The king screamed in frustration, stomping over to the kitchen and dragging his hammer behind him.

“Waaaaaaaaadle Deeeeeeeeees!!! Hurry up an’ make me some more grub!” Dedede’s voice reverberated off the halls, his rage obvious. Landia tilted her head, flexing her claws and taking flight out the window.

_I wonder what’s wrong. All I did was eat his food._


	3. Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bandanna Dee sneaks around for it, Sailor Dee just drinks it.

He almost had it, the treasure he had worked so hard to acquire this very night. 

It was a challenge maneuvering the castle’s halls silently, especially during break time, but he’d done it- all for this prize he coveted dearly. He reached out his paw to grab the handle of the fridge; he pulled it open, the dim light inside illuminating half of the dark kitchen. The rush of freezing wind was a stark contrast to the hot summer air around him, but he shook it off. 

At the top was the glass bottle he desired. His paw grew closer and closer, until-

“Who’s there?! No one snoops around in the kitchen unless I say so!” Bandanna Dee squeaked, his paw retreating away from the glass bottle at Dedede’s voice.

“Dee? That you in the fridge?” The king stepped closer and picked up the Waddle Dee with one arm, closing the fridge with the other. 

“H-hi, Great King…” Bandanna Dee mumbled, clearly aware he was going to get into some kind of trouble.

“What ya doin’ in the kitchen during yer break? I thought ya were in yer room or somethin’.”

“Um… I was hungry, sire…”

“An’ what exactly in the fridge tempted that appetite of yers?”

“The cream, sire…” Dedede placed Bandanna on the ground, and after rummaging around in the cabinet for a while, the penguin found a small cup. Pulling open the fridge, the king opened the cream bottle and poured some into the container, holding it out to the Dee.

“R-really, Great King?! I can have it?”

“O’ course ya can! I just wish ya didn’t sneak around, or I could’a mistaken ya for someone else an’ hit ya with my hammer.”

“Thank you, Great King! I’ll try not to sneak around during break anymore.” Dedede looked at him in concern. If he had any eyebrows, he would’ve raised them by now.

“Anymore? Dee, just how long have ya been doin’ this?”

“Uh… like a year or two, maybe…”

“Just don’t do it again, ‘kay? An’ once yer done with that, ya go straight back to relaxin’, ya hear?”

“Yes, Great King… thank you.”

* * *

Meta Knight could’ve sworn he left the cream in his fridge. He flapped his wings to reach the top shelf of it and when it wasn’t there, he dropped down to the ground in confusion. 

“Sailor Dee? Where’s all the heavy cream?” Meta Knight asked, lifting a fluffy chocolate cake out of the oven.

The Dee froze and slowly turned around. “Um, I drank it all last night, sir,” Dee anxiously laughed. “I didn’t know you were going to be using it…”

“Wait, you drank it?”

“Y-yes… is it a problem, sir?”

“I just haven’t heard of anyone that drinks cream straight from the bottle. It is a slight problem though because I originally planned to have this cake frosted and ready for Kirby’s visit to the Halberd tonight. You know how he loves cake.” 

The knight placed the cake on the table, and seeing the eager gazes of Axe, Mace, and Trident from around a corner, he carefully placed it in a circular cage and locked it with Galaxia’s tip. Meta Knight grinned under his mask when he heard the disappointed groans of his crew; they knew better than to try and steal Galaxia from their lord. 

“Now the only thing left is the frosting,” Meta Knight sighed, sitting down at the table and keeping careful watch over his cake. “I do suppose I could get the ingredients myself, but-”

“You can count on me, sir! I’ll run to the market and get some cream before you know it!” Sailor Dee chirped, already heading towards the door of the Halberd. The warrior glanced at Sailor, then nodded. The Dee left, his tiny feet carrying him as fast as they could. Axe peeked out from around the corner, staring longingly at the cake on the table, and emerged from where he was. 

“Uh, sir? Can Mace, Trident, and I have some of the cake?” Axe said hopefully.

“If you would like to answer to Kirby when he gets here, then of course,” Meta Knight teased, smiling when they all flinched. 

“Never mind, sir, never mind! We’re okay with waiting until later!” 

“If you say so.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would it be good if I opened requests on my Tumblr? I thought it would be a good idea.


	4. Lost Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taranza saw firsthand how the mirror corrupted his beloved queen. And now there's nothing he can do but grieve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing Taranza, and I haven't played Triple Deluxe, so he might be OOC. But overall, I think he's just a very lonely spidey boy.

_“Hey Taranza! Doesn't this dress look great on me?” Taranza looked back and saw Princess Sectonia standing behind him with a light blue, flowery dress. The lace veil hung over her head, and the princess ducked her head, blushing with embarrassment._

_“O-of course it does!” Taranza stammered. “Anything looks good on you, Tonia! You know that!” Sectonia giggled, her face glowing with excitement and happiness._

_“Don’t flatter me, Taranza!” She exclaimed. “You’re too kind!” Taranza smiled himself, the sweet nature of the queen-to-be reaching deep into his heart._

_“You know I can’t help it,” the spider said, grinning. “Ready for your coronation, Tonia?” He knew it brought back bad memories of her dead mother, but she’d gotten over it- mostly._

_“Yeah. It’ll be exciting, but it just looks like so much work!” Sectonia slumped against the Dreamstalk, the result of Taranza’s careful work over the years, and patted its stalk, lovingly glancing at the male spider. In return, Taranza kissed her on the cheek._

_“You'll be fine. Tell you what, after the coronation, I'll give you something! I have a really nice present for you!”_

_“Oh Taranza! I'll be sure to appoint you to my most important office as soon as I'm queen!”_

_“You were always my queen, and I coronated you in my heart long ago.”_

* * *

Taranza looked up at the full moon again, forlornly sighing as he did so. He missed Sectonia- no, not Queen Sectonia, the one who’d abused her people and jetted him halfway across Floralia.

He missed _Princess_ Sectonia, the one who’d died on the day of her coronation, died as soon as the crown had touched her head. She’d been so kind and loving before, and Taranza… well, he could only watch as she turned from the beautiful, lovely spider she’d been into a lightning-wielding queen.

It was all his fault. He tried not to think like that anymore, but he still couldn’t deny it. What had happened to his beloved queen was his fault; why had he decided to bring her that cursed mirror?

The mirror had twisted her and turned her main focus to grandeur and beauty. Not long after, she had descended upon the poor citizens of Floralia and stolen most of everything to ensure her absolute rule.

Taranza could only watch, horrified as Sectonia swiped every bit of power from the rulers of every island on Floralia, leaving them with nothing- all so she could add to her own pedestal and glorify herself. In the end, it had backfired and he’d lost not only his queen, but his best friend.

The friend that he had lost long ago, but had clung to in the hopes that she would recover. Taranza had stayed for all those years, and nothing had happened. And just when he thought it wouldn’t get any worse, it had.

* * *

_“Taranza, I hereby appoint you as my advisor. Your job is to watch over me and do as I say.” Taranza felt the smooth wood of the scepter on his head and while he knew he should’ve been thrilled, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his back- figuratively and literally._

_There was lightning dancing across his back, and a wave of terror flowed through him. His queen’s voice was edged with malice, something that the spider had never heard in her voice until then._

_He was shaking as he rose, meeting her hard, cold purple eyes. It had only been a day since her coronation; it was impossible that she’d gotten this bad in just a day! Had it been the mirror? As Sectonia fluttered away, Taranza gazed after her. What had he gotten himself into?_


	5. Tangled Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not even the Halberd was safe from Yin-Yarn's rampage through Dreamland.

“Wh-what happened to the Halberd?!” Sailor Dee exclaimed, running a paw over the battleship's now soft, wooly walls. Then he noticed that his own body was made out of yarn, and he panicked. “What happened to _me_?!”

He touched his face and screamed, terrified about what had happened to him and everything else. He didn't look too much different; he looked exactly like every other yarn Waddle Dee in Dreamland, but it was still a shock. 

“Sailor, what are you screaming abou- aaaah!” Axe and the rest of the crew darted out, touching the Halberd in disbelief. 

“I… I can't believe it,” Trident murmured, looking around. “We… I'm… the Halberd… all yarn?”

Sailor Dee peered out a nearby window. Dreamland still looked the same, albeit being all yarn and cloth, just like their battleship. Whispy Woods looked like it had been sewn together, and Castle Dedede was made of felt and quilted cloth.

But it was still Dreamland, wasn't it? Still Dreamland, still Popstar, but everything had been placed under a curse- just like so many other times in the planet’s past. Kirby would save them, and they'd all be fine in the end. 

“Um, guys? Mind helping us out?” Javelin and Mace appeared, their strings tangled in a large knot. Axe pulled out his signature weapon and tried to slice through, but it failed- the axe was now made out of stiff cardboard and felt instead of its sharp metal. 

“I don't even know how all this cloth got here!” Mace exclaimed, trying to untie the knot between him and Javelin. “I just woke up like this and then my weapons were all pom-poms! I freaked out and ran into Javelin, and we fell down and tangled ourselves and we just-”

“Slow down, Mace! We're all freaking out here!” Trident reprimanded. “B-but where's…” While he didn't say the last part out loud, Trident knew everyone else was thinking the same thing. Meta Knight still hadn't shown up yet, and it was greatly worrying all of them. Had their lord also succumbed to whatever had befallen the rest of Dreamland?

While they were wondering, Mace and Javelin had managed to get themselves separated with the help of Sailor Dee and Axe. With the two separated, they anxiously paced near the door of the Halberd, not knowing what else to do. Minutes passed, all of them fidgeting and walking around, and they were all anxious to find out what had happened to the blue puff.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the door of the Halberd opened and Meta Knight, made of yarn much like the rest of Dreamland, walked in with his wings drooping on the ground.

“Sir Meta Knight! You’re alright!” Sailor shouted, rushing towards him. At the Dee’s call, the rest of the crew scurried towards him.

“Sir Meta Knight, what happened to Dreamland?! What happened to us?!” Mace exclaimed.

“Sir, you’re hurt! Who fought you?” Axe cried, eyeing the puff’s frayed strings. “Was it the menace who did this to all of Dreamland?”

_Sir, what’s going on?_ Javelin beeped, hovering above the rest of the crew. Meta Knight glanced at each of them as they were clamoring for his attention, then wearily held up a hand. Everyone quieted down and the knight sighed heavily.

“I have a lot to tell you, don’t I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny how they never showcased Meta Knight's crew in Kirby's Epic Yarn even when the Halberd itself was a level. They'd probably freak out though.


	6. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So how exactly did Meta Knight and Dedede meet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A request for borbsandpenguinsdeluxe on Tumblr! They asked how Meta Knight and Dedede met.

“Meta! Dedede!” Both turned in the direction of Kirby, who was running through the grass to meet them. “Got a question! How did you two meet?"

"Well, it’s quite a long story. Are you sure you’ll stay still while we’re telling it?” Meta Knight asked. 

"Yes, yes, yes! I’ll try!“ Kirby sat down, wriggling excitedly as he awaited the story. "It’s been a while since we met, eh, Meta?” Dedede exclaimed, clapping his hand on the knight’s pauldron. “Might as well tell the story, or we’ll forget too." 

Meta Knight glanced up at the king, a twinkle in his eye. "We’d never. One of us is always around the other… Kirby, get ready.” Kirby smiled. 

* * *

"Don’t go too far, Dedede! Be careful if you go in the woods!"

"I got it, Dad!” Prince Dedede shouted at the top of his lungs. “I’ll! Be! Careful!” The prince stomped off into Whispy Woods, muttering to himself. 

"Nova, Dad’s always so overprotective… yeesh…“ The prince sat down in the shade of a tree and picked an apple from the branch above him. He munched on it angrily and wiped off the juice that landed on his face. It was only after he’d finished his apple that he realized he probably should’ve brought a friend. He absolutely hated being alone; it made him feel scared and vulnerable and nothing like the brave prince he was supposed to be. Then a shiver ran down his back, and Dedede whirled around, dropping his apple core to the ground. A shadow rippled and he stood up, his hammer in hand and ready to fight. 

"A'right, who’s there! Show yerself!” He shouted, trying to keep his voice from wavering. “I’m armed an’ ready to fight!” There was a swish of air, and Dedede turned just in time to avoid a sword to his face. The figure skidded on the dirt and turned. A small blue round puff… thing was in front of him, confidently brandishing his wooden sword. Its wings, too big for its body, dragged on the ground and silver eyes glared at him. 

“Right! Come at me, puffball!” The prince bragged, beckoning for it to attack him. 

“The name’s Meta!” Meta swiped at him, which Dedede easily blocked with the flat of his hammer. The prince then swung at the puff and knocked him into a tree. The puffball growled, standing up, and threw his sword at his opponent. The penguin yawned, knocking the wooden sword into the air tiredly, and stepped menacingly towards the puff, who was cowered on the ground and whimpering. 

Dedede stopped. He considered beating the creampuff to a pulp, but where was the fun in that if his opponent couldn’t fight back? Instead, the prince put his hammer on the ground beside him and gazed at the puff. 

“Here now, I ain’t gonna hurt ya,” Dedede said, sitting down and petting the puff’s back. “What’d ya say yer name was again?" 

The puff looked up, his face stained with tears and dirt. "M-Meta…" 

"Well, Meta, I think we’re gonna be real best friends! I’m Dedede, the prince o’ Dreamland! An’ once I’m king, I’m gonna make ya a royal knight!" 

Meta looked startled, his wings perking up in surprise- his tears stopped immediately. "Really? I can’t wait! I’ve always wanted to live in a really big castle!" 

"Yep!” Then Dedede realized it was almost sundown, and his parents were probably worried sick about him like they always were. “Say, ya live nearby? I can take ya home if ya want.” That got Meta crying again, and because the prince had no idea what to do, he sat down and tried to comfort the puff again. 

“I d-don’t have a home,” he replied sullenly, wiping his face. “I ran away from my daddy, Nightmare. He was evil." 

"Well, uh… if ya don’t have a home, why don’t ya come an’ live at the castle with me? I’m sure my parents won’t mind, an’ if they object, I can sneak ya into my room! How’s that?” Meta smiled and climbed onto Dedede’s shoulders, letting the prince pick his hammer up. 

“Okay! But since you’re the prince and all, do I have to call you Your Majesty..?“ 

"Nah! Jus’ call me Dedede, an’ leave the formalities for after I become king! And the two walked off into the sunset. 

* * *

"Mety Knighty had to leave once I became king, and since I was so bored then, I tried bein’ evil,” Dedede laughed. “I stole all the food, but ya gave me the ol’ what-for, Kirby!" 

"I had been called to train as a Star Warrior,” Meta Knight explained. “Once I returned, I had received my full armor and Galaxia, and I was truly worthy of the title ‘royal knight’. Though, come to think of it, Your Majesty, you haven’t actually knighted me." 

"Don’t need to! What, yer title ‘greatest warrior in the Gamble Galaxy’ ain’t good enough?" 

"I suppose… say, remember when you had no idea who I was when I first came back from Star Warrior training?" 

"Sure took me a while, hehe! Only removin’ yer mask told me fer sure!” Kirby grinned and silently left, leaving Meta and Dedede to reminisce about old times.


	7. Mischief Marx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marx loves to cause mischief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've started high school, so I'll be updating less frequently. I hope this is okay!

Marx happily bounced on his ball. The day was extremely peaceful- no missions, no battles, no Soul Bosses that wanted to consume the whole of the Gamble Galaxy. 

Void Termina had been defeated just a few days ago, and all the other former Kirby villains, himself included, had gone back to their daily business.  Which, after being defeated by Kirby in their attempt to conquer Popstar, was relatively boring. 

Magolor ran his little shop, selling armor and Gem Apples, and Susie had retreated to who knows where for engineering. Even Dark Meta Knight was sleeping on a grassy hill- or so Daroach reported. 

But it was just a little  _ too _ peaceful for him today, and that in itself aroused a need to cause mischief. Marx grinned evilly and bounced onwards. 

This would be a fun day- a very fun day indeed.

* * *

His first stop was Magolor’s store, and while the sign said _Closed. Come back later_ , Marx knew better than to come back later- Magolor would be back by then.

The jester bounced on his ball until he could easily jump over the counter, and once he did, he slowed his descent with his wings, not caring that he knocked a few things over. Marx’s foot touched a Gem Apple and he picked it up in his teeth. Gem Apples usually weren’t explosive, but with his magic, they soon would be.

“Magolor sells bombs, doesn’t he…” Marx muttered, digging through the egg mage’s stuff. “Where does he keep them…” He soon found a bomb lying on the floor, and with his magic, combined the explosive with the apple. 

“Someone’s gonna get a kick outta that,” he giggled, flying over the counter again. “Hopefully, it won’t be anyone I know!” Marx cackled and flew out of the stall, knocking a few more things over with his wings for good measure. He repositioned himself on his ball and bounced away. 

“Chaos and mischief,” he hummed to himself. “That’s how I  _ roll _ !”

Next in his schedule was Dark Meta Knight. Even though Marx was sure it would result in his butt being kicked later, he couldn’t resist the allure of pranking the grumpy knight from the Mirror World. And speak of Nova, there he was.

The black puff was asleep on the hill like Daroach had said, his mask beside him, and he snored loudly. 

Marx knew that there were only two things both Dark Meta Knight and the regular Meta Knight had in common: the disdain on having their masks removed and the fear that people would think they were cute. Thankfully, the knight's mask was already off and he was asleep, getting rid of both vulnerabilities at the same time. 

His ass wasn't getting kicked today!

The jester happened to have his phone (surprisingly enough, Dreamland did have phones) on him, and he pulled it out, holding it with one wing.  He snapped a few pictures of Dark Meta Knight's adorable face and posed next to him before snapping another picture. He posted all of them online, where everyone on Popstar could see them. 

Marx then tagged the pictures as  _ adorable little puff _ and _ Dark Meta Knight isn't that edgy anymore, is he? _ . His phone vibrated with notifications from incoming replies, and he didn't bother to read them yet. Instead, he switched to video mode, and took a video of the puff sleeping while he spoke about how adorable Dark really was. After a while, he ended the video, posted it, and rapidly rolled down the hill on his ball- mere seconds before the puff woke up.

Marx then painted Kirby's house yellow. It was fairly easy; the pink puff was almost always at the Halberd or Dedede's castle. Thinking of the castle gave Marx an idea. 

He unfurled his wings, his ball magically disappearing, and flew to the king's castle. He pulled a paintbrush from his wings and he painted swatches of purple everywhere as he flew around. Then he carefully opened the door to the king’s room, where the penguin was deeply asleep, and took his hammer. 

He flew to Jambastion, and on the way, flung Dedede’s hammer into Kine’s favorite river. Said fish leapt out of the river in terror and rushed downstream to avoid any other falling objects. Marx cackled and flapped his wings harder. 

After a few minutes, the sky fortress loomed in front of him. He found some flashy signs in his collection and quickly posted them around Jambastion, making it look like a very inviting place. He could already see a few curious Dreamlanders wandering near, and Marx flew off. 

“I just love causing mischief,” Marx chuckled, sitting down in the shade of a tree. “Everyone’s going to have so much fun when they find out! Hahaha!” He relaxed under the shade of a tree and nodded off, sure that everyone would love his pranks.

* * *

  
Marx awoke to the sound of yelling.  _ Loud  _ yelling. When he nonchalantly opened his eyes, he leapt up with a cry. 

Legions of Dreamlanders were dashing towards him- and it was no surprise to the purple prankster that Dark Meta Knight was leading the charge. Right behind them were Magolor (Marx realized with a gulp), the Mage-sisters, Dedede, and Kirby with his Crash ability. The prankster jumped on his ball and rolled away as quickly as he could. 

As they chased after him though, Marx knew it had all been worth it- it was always worth it to cause mischief.


	8. Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedede thinks that Meta Knight has been working just a little too hard lately.

It had been days since Dedede last saw his little knight. Meta had been cooped up in his room for three days straight now, and no doubt he'd been working the whole time. The king had put up with it for the past two days, but this was the final straw.

“Yo, Mety Knighty, open up!” Dedede hollered, banging his fist on the door. “Yer comin’ out o’ yer room or I'm bustin’ down this here door and draggin’ ya out!” When the door didn't open, the king raised his hammer, ready to bash the door down, but it opened soon afterwards. A disheveled, navy blue puffball stood in front of Dedede, his wings dragging on the ground and dark bags under his half-closed silver eyes; he'd opted to leave all his armor in his room.

“Dedede, what do you want?” Meta Knight mumbled, leaning on the door exhaustedly.

“I'm ‘ere to get yer head out o’ yer work and into the sunshine. Ya’ve been in there for three days, Meta! Take a break or somethin’, otherwise I'll _make_ ya take one.”

“I'm almost done with all of it, Dedede, I promise… I'll come out once I'm done.”

“Nuh-uh! Yer comin’ with me right now.” The king pushed the knight into his room and piled the puff's armor on him. Meta Knight pulled it all on, trying and failing to catch it out of mid-air, and clipped his mask on as he stumbled out the door.

“Dedede, this better be important…”

“Mety, o'course it's important! It concerns ya, for Nova's sake! Ya need a break, and it's been too long since we did somethin’ together. How ‘bout it?”

The warrior sighed, his slumped body betraying his weariness. “Fine. What did you plan on having us do?”

“Glad ya asked, Mety! And the answer is, I ain't sayin’! It's gonna be a surprise!” Meta Knight groaned, and Dedede picked him up joyfully, bounding towards the kitchen and picking up a packed picnic basket. The knight could only watch from his helpless position as his liege burst out of the castle gates with him in tow.

“Your Majesty, please, put me down!” The puff quietly commanded, lightly pounding the penguin's back. “Th-this is undignified!” Dedede hummed, but refused to drop him; if anything, his grip on the knight got tighter as he gleefully skipped towards a grassy hill.

A few Waddle Dees saw them, though they didn't pay much attention, and Meta Knight suddenly felt his face heat up as the Dees’ eyes connected with his own. He didn't have time to protest much though, as Dedede led him to a secluded hill overlooking Orange Ocean. It was here that the king finally let Meta Knight off his shoulder and onto the ground.

The knight immediately tried to take flight and escape, but in his fatigue, he didn't notice Dedede coming up behind him. As soon as the puff spread his wings, the king grabbed him and held him tight.

“Ya ain't goin' nowhere, Mety! Yer stayin' with me,” Dedede smirked, holding the puff a good distance away to avoid his kicks.

“Let me down, Dedede! Now!” Meta Knight exclaimed, kicking and flaring his wings in an attempt to escape. “I've told you before, this is-”

“Undignified, treatment not worthy o’ a knight o’ yer caliber, yadda yadda yadda. No one's around, Mety! Jeez! Jus’ let yerself relax for once!”

The knight tensed, then stopped kicking, his fighting spirit demolished. “Fine. So what if I am famished? What are you going to do about it?”

“Give ya a picnic, o’ course!” Dedede threw a blanket into the air, and once it fluttered down on the grass, began laying out an assortment of food. The puff’s eyes widened as he saw the amount of food Dedede had brought with him; sandwiches, containers of fried rice, salad, fruit, lemonade, and three of his favorite chocolate parfaits were included, among other things.

Meta Knight tentatively unclipped his mask and glanced around. When he saw there was no one there other than his royal boyfriend, the knight started devouring whatever was in front of him, sometimes resorting to inhaling. After a while, the puff’s hunger was satiated, and he lay down on the blanket, stretching his wings. 

“Dang, Mety! Ya ate almost everythin’ I brought!” Dedede exclaimed, lifting the last remnants out of the basket.

Meta Knight glanced at the king tiredly and slowly rolled onto his side. “Sorry…” He said, yawning. “I guess I really needed the relaxation…”

“It's nothin’, Mety. Anythin’ for my lil’ knight.” The puff smiled weakly and fell asleep, Dedede scratching the nerves of his wings as he looked out across the Orange Ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since this updated, and it's a lot shorter than I would've liked, but I haven't had much time to write lately. To make it up to everyone who reads this, I'll be opening suggestions today! 
> 
> If you would like to submit an idea that you want me to write, head over to my Tumblr blog at https://kirby-writes.tumblr.com. As long as it is SFW and doesn't include anything rated above T, then I'll probably write it. Thank you for supporting this story! Your feedback means a lot to me :)


	9. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All's right in Patch Land after Kirby and Prince Fluff free Meta Knight from Yin-Yarn's control and get the last piece of magic yarn. 
> 
> A small one-shot for what happens in between Meta Knight's defeat and the journey back to Dream Land.

Kirby was terrified. There was no other way to put it; seeing Meta Knight, his friend and mentor, under Yin-Yarn’s control was an alien concept to the pink yarn puff. He’d always been so strong, Kirby thought as he dodged a slash, that it was near impossible to imagine the stoic knight as someone else’s puppet. 

Yet here they were, on the battlefield against their will. 

Catching a red sword beam and turning it into a ball, Kirby hurled it at the knight before he could summon another one of his huge tornadoes. It hit him dead-on, stunning the sword-wielding puff, and Kirby zoomed up to him. 

“Kir… by… run!” Meta Knight forced out, his eyes flickering as he fought Yin-Yarn’s control. “Save yourself… please!”

“Never,” the pink puff declared. “I will save you, Meta!” And with that, Kirby tore the knight’s final yarn sword out of his gloved paws, unraveling it and severing Yin-Yarn’s control. Prince Fluff leapt out to congratulate the yarn child on his victory, and behind them, Meta Knight glanced around, as if finally realizing where he was. 

A strand of glowing white yarn twirled in the air, and the light blue yarn puff jumped up and grabbed it. The knight watched them for a while, then disappeared with a swish of his cape, leaving the other two to their celebratory dance.

_____

His entire self felt wrong, but each step was like a miracle in itself. 

His mind had been looked into, his body taken over, yet he was still alive. Meta Knight was eternally grateful for Kirby and his friend- now if he didn’t feel so violated, his joy would’ve increased tenfold. Yin-Yarn had seen everything: his regrets, his forgotten memories, and worst of all, his past ambitions. 

That monster had used his past hatred against Kirby for his own twisted visions; what had he hoped to accomplish? That somehow, his past views of the child would’ve made him fight better? 

True, he had once despised Kirby and the rest of the planet for their laziness, but it was all in the past, and the past didn't need to be thought about. What was done was done, and nothing could change his past actions. 

Meta Knight shook his head, turning his mind back to the fact that Yin-Yarn had invaded his mind and body. They were supposed to be his thoughts, his and his alone, and they had been- until now. He cursed himself for being so easily ambushed, for not being more vigilant. 

Maybe none of this would’ve happened. But if he hadn’t been controlled, someone else would’ve been. 

“Better me than anyone else,” he thought glumly. Lost in thought, the knight stumbled and collapsed onto the worn felt path, pain surging into his fatigued, damaged body. He needed to get up, but moving became less and less of an option as each muscle screamed in pain every time he even attempted to move. He laid there, paralyzed by his own pain and exhaustion, and after what seemed like forever- the sun beating mercilessly on his caped back-, he passed out. 

* * *

“We’ve done it, Kirby! We’ve saved Patch Land!” Prince Fluff exclaimed joyously, jumping up and down.

“Yes! And I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, Fluff!” Kirby gushed, a wide smile on his face. “You’re one of the best companions I’ve ever had on an adventure!” The two dashed out of Space Land, heading straight back for Patch Castle. Kirby transformed into a car and let the blue yarn prince climb on top of him before zooming off. Prince Fluff whooped and yelled as the wind rushed through them, his crown almost flying off his head. The pink puff would’ve smiled at his friend’s antics if he could, but cars didn’t exactly smile, and he wasn’t about to change back just for that. 

“Kirby! It’s Patch Castle, I can see it!” Prince Fluff shouted, his voice already hoarse from yelling. “We’re almost there!” Kirby jumped in response, Fluff happily yelping, when the pink puff saw a blue bundle on the side of the path. He skidded to a stop, throwing the prince into a yarn bush, and morphed back in surprise. 

“Sorry, Fluff,” Kirby called. “It’s just… I saw someone on the road and I was startled because it kinda looked like someone I knew.” Prince Fluff joined the pink puff, brushing yarn leaves off him. Kirby tentatively approached the dark blue bundle and lifted the cloth.

“I-it’s… Meta Knight!”

“Hey, isn’t he that guy we fought earlier? He’s dangerous, Kirby! Get away from him!” Prince Fluff latched onto his friend and tried to pull him away, but Kirby easily yanked his paw out of Fluff’s grip.

“Fluff, no! Meta isn’t dangerous, that was Yin-Yarn controlling him! We have to at least help, Fluff! Meta’s my best friend!”

The prince eyed the unconscious knight warily. “And you’re sure he’ll help us? He looks scary, with the mask and everything.”

“Of course he will! He’s actually really nice under all his armor. I’ll show you once we’re back at your castle, and um, Fluff..?”

“Yes, Kirby?”

“Would you happen to have any chocolate parfaits in your castle?”

* * *

Meta Knight groaned, a paw rubbing his face only to find the absence of his mask. His blush-marks flushing red, he flipped the blanket over himself and let a paw dangle off the side, where he felt the soft material of his mask. 

His paw groped over the stiff cotton, trying to pull it up to the bed so he could put it on without his face being seen. As he searched for a good handhold, he felt a few cracks, sealed with what seemed like craft glue. Had it been cracked before? 

He quickly grabbed it and slid it over his face before sitting up and rubbing his head. Meta Knight heard a door squeak open and suddenly, a pink blur dashed into him. 

“Meta! You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay!” Kirby squealed, grabbing his gloved paws and jumping up and down on his bed. “Fluff! Fluff! He’s awake, you can bring in the parfaits now!” The knight perked up at the mention of his favorite dessert, and when a light blue yarn puff similar to Kirby walked in with a tall cup of ice cream, he smiled underneath his mask. 

“We found you on the side of the path,” Kirby started babbling, “and we took you back to Patch Castle, and Fluff wanted to take off your mask, but I wouldn’t let him until we got back and buried you under a bunch of blankets! And then, and then, even after that, I still wouldn’t let him because we had to wrap you up first…” Kirby’s rambles were lost to Meta Knight’s nonexistent ears, and he reached for the parfait. The prince (Fluff, he assumed) held it out and, feeling that he could be trusted, the knight slipped his mask off and began licking the ice cream.

“Whoa! Kirby, he- Meta Knight- I…” Fluff stuttered, stepping back in surprise. “Kirby, you didn’t mention that Meta Knight looked like  _ you _ !”

The pink puff stopped rambling for a bit and faced his newfound friend. “Should I have mentioned that? Oops, sorry!” Kirby dug in to the warrior’s parfait and smiled, his cheeks smeared with ice cream. Meta Knight pushed the parfait towards him, letting the other puff gladly consume it, and settled back on the bed. 

“Take a long rest, Meta! I expect you to help us kick Yin-Yarn’s butt,” Kirby said, poking the knight expectantly. 

“Of course, Kirby. I’ll be there as soon as my wings can stop aching,” the warrior mumbled, unclipping his mask and placing it beside him. 

“Right! We’re going to save the rest of Dreamland as soon as you wake up, ‘kay?” Meta Knight didn’t answer; he didn’t need to. Kirby would save the world, just like he always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have an idea for this series of one-shots, visit my Tumblr and feel free to submit ideas!
> 
> You can find my Tumblr blog at https://kirby-writes.tumblr.com


	10. Mirror World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse of the Mirror Dimension, set during the time of Super Kirby Clash. 
> 
> (I don't know too much about the game, seeing as I don't have a Switch, so if any details seem wrong, feel free to correct me!)

“Dameta! Our Dedede is in Dreamland again!” Shadow Kirby shouted, turning away from the Dimensional Mirror to whine about it to said knight.

“Has he become D-Mind again?” Dark Meta Knight asked, slumping as he flicked through channels on their TV.

The light gray puff glanced back at the mirror to check. “He’s wearing the mask of Dark Mind, and his eyes are glowy, and _ew ew ew_ _Dameta his stomach's opening up what the hell?_ ”

Dark groaned from where he sat, dropping the remote and resorting to turning it off with the tip of his sword. “It's one of the powers Dark Matter gives him, and the mask is a dead giveaway. Who’s beating the dumbass up this time?”

“Regular Kirby and his colorful friends. They summoned a giant meteor thing and almost knocked him out cold.”

“Oh, so they’re trying to do that boss battling thing from last time. Typical. While you’re at it, Shadow, mind checking the Fountain of Nightmares for me? Dreamy, parallel Nightmare guy better be in there.”

Shadow stood with a groan and dragged himself to another mirror and peered into it before yelping in surprise. “He… he’s not in there! Dameta, he isn’t in the Fountain!”

At this, Dark jumped up, grabbing the blade of his sword and almost shattering his hand. “You’ve gotta be serious. Again? Shadow, you’re going to have to kick his butt again.”

“B-but I don’t wanna… he’s so nice…”

“And niceness is not tolerated here! You must restore order to the Mirror World!” Shadow Kirby jumped back, hurriedly stepping backwards until his feet touched the gray wall of the castle.

“Why me… why can’t you do it, Dameta?”

Dark spluttered, unable to find a suitable answer, his good hand waving about wildly as the shards of his other began reforming. “I- you- it just isn’t my place! I am the king here, you are my knight, and Dedede… well, he’s just Dedede. He can go rot for all I care. You stood up to regular Kirby! Why can’t you stand up to a parallel impostor?”

Shadow whimpered, retreating into a dark corner. “I don’t wanna betray him, Parallel Nightmare is my friend! Can’t you at least help..? You know I get scared a lot…”

“Oh Nova. Fine, I’ll come. I’ll bring the Moon Rod too. You can get started, I’ll meet you there.”

“Not gonna fight me or anything?”

“No, I will not fight you. Go get your Flight Star and I’ll meet you at the fountain.” When Shadow didn’t budge, his face uncertain, Dark acted on impulse. He waved his cape, manipulating space until he was next to the younger puff, then hugged him, the dark knight’s face heating up under his mask.

“Now go. I believe in you, Shadow,” Dark said gently, his voice softer than the usual harsh tone. Shadow Kirby perked up and ran to where the flight stars were kept. Just as he was about to climb on, a thought came to his head.

“Dameta… hugged me??”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the tenth chapter up! Whew that took a while but I'm really proud of it. Thank you all for your support, kudos, and comments!
> 
> In addition to sending ideas to my Tumblr blog, you can also submit ideas for this collection via the comments! Have a nice day (or night), KirbyWrites out!


	11. Magolor is a Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marx proves that Magolor is a cat.

“Mags, they’ve got all kind of stuff I know you’d just love!” Marx excitedly screeched. Magolor instantly held the phone away from his head until the noise subsided.

“What kind of  _ stuff _ is this exactly…” Magolor ventured. He looked around the Lor, trying to discern what Marx had seen of what he liked. The pale blue walls of his ship were adorned with pictures (mostly of him and Kirby) and there was scarcely any furniture in the main room. That was the only room Marx had ever been in; how could the jester know what he possibly liked? He was about to keep thinking about this until Marx started yelling again.

“Loads of stuff! They’ve got laser pointers, scratching posts, and ooh! Hot damn, Magolor, it’s a feather on a stick!” The egg mage scowled, moving away from the Starcutter’s console.

“Marx, those are things for cats. You think I’m a cat?!” 

“Ya look like one, that’s for sure-”

“ _ Shut up! _ ”

Marx groaned, transferring the phone from one set of winged claws to the other. “Fine. Look, I’ll bring some of the stuff back to the Lor, then we can test if you’re really a cat.”

“I already told you, I am not a-”

“Alright, looks like it’s settled, I’m gonna go pay now, see you later Mags!” The jester hung up before Magolor could protest, and said mage collapsed on the couch in the control room. He was most definitely  _ not _ a cat.

* * *

Marx held a plastic bag in his claws as he rolled on his ball. He hummed joyfully and leapt up into the air as he neared the Lor Starcutter’s ramp. His ball magically disappeared with a  _ poof _ , and he landed neatly on the couch in the Lor’s control room. Magolor turned to face him and groaned, one of his floating hands slapping his face. 

“Marx, what have you brought this time?” Magolor asked, his normally cheerful voice almost monotonous. “It better not be an animal, dead or alive.”

“Nah, Mags! I learned my lesson the first time I brought an animal into the Lor,” Marx chirped. Watching the Lor’s defense mechanisms kick in had been amazing to watch, but the egg mage had almost kicked him out after the animal had been thoroughly incinerated. 

“What’d you bring then? And why were you at the pet store?”

“I thought I already told you. I got ya some things!” Marx set the bag down, dunked his head in, and pulled out a laser pointer with his teeth. 

Magolor sighed, his eyes closed. “A laser pointer. What do you expect me to do with-” The jester clicked the on button, and the remains of his sentence were cut off as a red dot appeared on the Lor’s walls. The egg mage stared at it, transfixed, before he swatted at it. Marx chuckled and pointed it in a different direction, watching Magolor float after it. 

“Lil’ tiny kitty,” the jester snarked, tossing the pointer aside. Marx pet the egg mage with the tip of his wing and giggled madly when he started purring. Magolor nuzzled Marx affectionately, pressing his head to the jester’s wings. Marx then produced a ball of yarn out of nowhere and threw it down the hallway, letting Magolor chase after it. Magolor came back with the ball of yarn securely in his hands, and he was batting at its strings. 

Marx started petting him again, and Magolor's eyes shone with the euphoria of getting pet. When the jester stopped, abruptly lifting his wings, Magolor came to his senses and glared at Marx, who was grinning widely.

“Nova damn it, Marx. I hate you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a Magolor writing streak, so I'll probably be writing a lot of Magolor shitposting next.


	12. Magolor Shitpost 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An egg, a grape, and fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This shitpost was inspired by a post on slappys-kirby-arts.tumblr.com!
> 
> The ask for this one was "egg is now a recurring theme. egg, meet hot pan."
> 
> If you'd like to view the original image, go here: https://slappys-kirby-art.tumblr.com/post/189001079664/kirby-writes-tonight-we-feast 
> 
> (Yeah, I know I'm the one that sent that XD)

“Meta! Dedede! Magolor taught me a new word!” Kirby shouted as he bounded down the hill, his face radiating joy.

The knight looked up from Galaxia, the golden sword’s blade gleaming after being sharpened and polished. “It isn’t anything beyond your age range, I hope?” Meta Knight asked. “You do remember what happened last time.”

“Can’t be anythin’ too bad, Mety!” Dedede chuckled, leaning on his hammer. “After all, it was Marx that taught Kirby how ta say fu-” The king abruptly shut his mouth when he saw the glare the warrior was giving him, and he sheepishly smiled. 

Kirby grinned despite the fact that the blue puff looked about ready to murder the penguin in cold blood. “Magolor told me it was a good word and not a curse word at all! And now that I think about it, Marx likes to say it too.”

Meta Knight groaned. “Judging from that, I can already tell it’s less than decent…”

“Ah, jus’ give the kid a chance, Mety! Who knows, maybe Magolor’s tellin’ the truth an’ it really is a good word. ‘Sides, Marx says a ton o’ things that ain’t cussin’ words.”

“Fine. Kirby, tell us what this new word is.”

“Ok! Magolor told me how to say shit! He says it’s a good word! Shit, shit, shit!” Meta Knight and Dedede glanced at each other before grabbing Kirby and running to the Lor.

* * *

_ Five Minutes Later: _

“Nova, no! Have mercy on me! Mercy, I say!” Magolor screamed, wriggling in Dedede’s grip. Kirby had his trademark Fire ability; he stood there, blissfully unaware in everything that was going on, and Meta Knight was holding a pan above it with what the egg mage swore was a devilish smirk. 

“No mercy for ya, ya evil egg!” Dedede said with a grin. “Ya taught Kirby how to say sh- mmph!” Meta Knight muffled the rest of the sentence with a raised wing.

“Have you learned nothing from when Marx tried this?” The knight smirked. “You taught the baby a curse word. Now you will pay the consequences.” 

“What are you going to do to me?!” Magolor screeched, his hands waving wildly in an attempt to summon something,  _ anything _ that could release him.

“Yer an egg, ain’t ya? We’re gonna cook ya, o’ course!”

“I love eggs! Just the way they taste, and how I can peel the eggshell off slowly and suck it out!” Kirby said, laughing and twirling. “I’ve never tasted a Halcandran egg before!”

At this point, Magolor was hysterical with fear. “I didn’t mean to teach Kirby how to curse! It was something Marx said and he was curious- no, no, no, don’t drop me!” Dedede dropped him, and the second he touched the pan, Magolor felt his soul (did he even have a soul after the Master Crown incident?) detach from his body and float. But even though he was floating in the air, he could still feel the searing metal and the stifling heat, all threatening  _ to consume him in its flames-! _

* * *

Marx soared down the hallway to Magolor’s room in the Lor, disgruntled that his sleep was being disturbed. The jester peered in, wondering what could possibly be happening to make the egg mage scream in such a way, when he saw something that made him stop midflight. 

Magolor was thrashing on the floor, his hands fighting an invisible enemy. All the blankets and bedsheets had been dragged off the bed in his thrashing, and the egg mage’s body and hands were entangled in them. Marx stared for a few minutes before he turned away and flew back to his own room.

“The way Mags is acting makes me think he’s being cooked alive,” Marx muttered. “As if!”


	13. Magolor Shitpost 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to
> 
> S T A L K T H E E G G
> 
> Original photo inspiration: https://slappys-kirby-art.tumblr.com/post/188956382278/a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a

Someone was watching him. 

Magolor could feel their eyes following his every move and deep in the shadows of the Lor Starcutter, he sometimes saw black shiny disks, devoid of emotion. He didn’t know what they were attached to, and frankly, he didn’t want to know. He floated into his room and took off his hood, raising one hand to ruffle the short brown fur on his head. A light brown circle appeared in his window, and Magolor shrieked, pulling his hood back up. 

Why, of all the people in Dreamland, was  _ he _ the one to get stalked? There were tons of other people to spy on, he thought angrily.  There was Meta Knight (though Magolor could understand why no one in their right mind would want to stalk him), King Dedede, Kirby- even the Waddle Dees would be more interesting to stalk than him! 

The egg mage drew the blinds on his window and sighed, shrinking against the wall. Who could possibly be so obsessed with him that they’d stalk him day and night? Magolor glanced around his room, his panic growing, when he spotted a pair of purple eyes from his somewhat-open closet. The egg mage screamed and blasted whatever it was with an orb of magical fire, pressing himself to the wall. 

Something burst into flames, and a surprised yelp accompanied a loud  _ thump _ onto his floor. “Whoa! Hey, hey, hey, I just bought that!” 

Magolor flipped on the lights, staring disbelievingly at the jester on his floor. “Marx?! Why the hell are you in my room!”

Marx stood up, shaking the soot off his hat and jumping up. “I just wanted to find you something for Magolor Day! I mean, it’s in two days and I really wanted to get you a present…”

“Uh, Marx? You do realize that Magolor Day isn’t an actual holiday, right? I hate to admit it, but that was just to make me feel better after being so mean to Kirby.”

“Really? Damn, in that case, all those pictures I took of you and the Lor were for nothing! Welp, I’m heading out. See ya, Mags.”

“Yes, goodbye- wait,  _ pictures?! Of me and the Lor?! _ Marx! How long have you been stalking me, you pervert?”

Marx poked his head in the room, his wings already out. “Ever since you started Magolor Day, duh!”

“Why, you- get back here, you little son of a Nova-damned shit!!”

The jester faked offense. “Ow, that hurt, Mags! But anyway, what are you going to do about it-  _ aaaaah fuck fuck fuck! _ ” Magical purple spikes shot up from the ground in front of him, spearing his hat and yanking it off his head. 

A neat ball of purple fluff unraveled, sending wisps of fur over Marx’s face. Magolor was about to summon more magic when he saw the downy fluff covering the jester’s face. He pressed his mouth shut, trying not to laugh, but after a few minutes, he burst out cackling with laughter. 

Marx was uneasy from the egg mage’s laughter; when he saw his hat flutter down, a hole in part of the fabric, he decided to pick it up and leave while he had the chance. After all, Magolor couldn’t punish him if he wasn’t there. Zooming out the exit, Marx alighted on a tree branch and flipped through his camera roll. 

“Wonder what I’ll do with all these pictures..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to write something else just in case ya'll are tired of all these egg shitposts, but otherwise, I have fun making these so there'll probably be a lot more.
> 
> Also, what do you think Marx would do with the pictures he's taken of Magolor and the Lor? Share the answer with me in the comments!


	14. Magolor Shitpost 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magolor is crushed. Chaos ensues. Inspiration picture can be found here: https://slappys-kirby-art.tumblr.com/post/188988523233/n-o-o-o-o

“Yo, just a heads up, Termina, but you can't take over this planet,” Marx shouted, pointing to Magolor, Susie, and Taranza in turn. “We've all tried it, not a single one succeeded!” Void Termina stared blankly at them.

“You, hulking lowlife, shall not last against the great and powerful technology of the Mother Computer!” Susie proclaimed, holding her blaster up.

“And you shall not stand against the might of Halcandran magic!” Magolor bellowed, pulling out the giant Ultra Sword replica he used.

“I just want to go home and study necromancy,” Taranza whispered. “I want to see Sectonia at Christmas and I need to study…” But Void Termina roared anyway, and the battle began. 

* * *

A few minutes later, Void sank to the ground and his skull-like head rolled off. Magolor pumped one fist into the air, the Star Allies Sparkler wavering slightly. Then, as expected, the void coming from inside the fallen villain’s body sucked them in, and they landed in a mass of goop and liquid. 

“It’ll take forever to clean all this off my uniform,” Susie moaned, holding the fabric of her coat with both floating hands. Taranza, having summoned a web to avoid said goop, quietly chuckled and pulled the three out of the pile. Void’s core, wrapped up in a protective pink shell, wriggled and gave its own impersonation of a roar as dark symbols came flying out of it. They flew around, flinging themselves off the goopy strands of Void Termina’s body and flying into the four. 

“This isn’t so hard,” Marx shouted above the uproar of a black hole. “All it really takes is some black holes, webs, and gunshots!”

“Remind me again why you decided to compete in the hardest level of the Ultimate Choice, Marx?!” Magolor shrieked, narrowly dodging the poisonous drops that had started falling from the ceiling. “I don’t think we can keep this up for much longer, you know!” Then a red glyph appeared and it floated around for a while before Susie shot it, revealing a juicy Maxim Tomato. 

Magolor, Susie, and Taranza cried in delight; the spider sent a web towards the tomato, and right before it was sucked into one of Marx’s many black holes, the tomato was caught and bounced towards them. Susie split the tomato with a small retractable knife and they shared it, munching on its pieces as Marx kept on attacking the core. After a while, the jester realized that the others weren’t fighting with him, and he flew straight over the core before landing in front of them.

“Hey, hey, hey! Aren’t you three supposed to be helping?” Marx exclaimed, his face set in anger. “And gimme a piece of that!”

“No can do,” Magolor explained, his face smeared with tomato seeds. “Our newfound health is not to be wasted.”

“I, for one, agree with the egg,” Susie said, piping up from where she was sitting with Taranza. She turned away at the mage’s glare, and guarded against a glyph before she continued to talk. “You were doing perfectly acceptable on your own.” 

Taranza gave up his own tomato slice and shot a web at the core, wincing at its pained cry. “Guys, don’t argue… I mean, it’s dead anyway.” Another howl and squirm from Void’s core, and the four were sent flying out of Termina’s body. 

As expected, the Star Allies Sparkler was there to catch them as Void Termina reattached his head to his body. Magolor shuddered as the huge villain’s arms morphed into wings, and they took to the skies. “Nova, I can never get used to him doing that…” Magolor muttered. “Creeps me out every single time.”

“Uh, guys? I-I think he’s going a bit crazy, even under my standards…” Marx said, shakily pointing a foot towards the winged Termina. Void Termina landed in front of them, and his wings morphed back into arms as his enormous body loomed over the sparkler. A giant hand grabbed the four, and Taranza barely had time to squeak out, “Oh no” before Void Termina threw them to the ground.

* * *

“What the hell is this?!” Magolor screamed. “ _ Marx!!!  _ This is all your fault!”

“Is not!” Marx shouted back. “You're the one who said you wanted to do it on this difficulty, damn it!” Giant lasers swept the battlefield and one took the last of Taranza's health, Susie kneeling beside the spider as she tried to revive him. Marx and Magolor turned towards them, and Void Termina took that opportunity to snatch the egg mage up. Marx looked up in horror while Susie only glanced at the sight before attempting to revive Taranza again.

“Susie! Do something, my friend is getting crushed!” Marx shouted at her, summoning a black hole and absorbing three lasers.

“I’m busy, grape! Do something yourself!” Susie screamed back, finally succeeding in reviving the spider. Taranza leaped up and immediately joined the fray again, bringing forth webs and lightning bolts. 

Marx’s face contorted in anger. “I’M  _ NOT _ A GRAPE!!! NOW SAVE MY FRIEND STRAWBERRY HAIR!”

“YOUR FRIEND’S AN EGG! HE WAS MEANT TO BE BROKEN-”

“OH SHUT UP SUSIE!” Void Termina watched the exchange amusedly as he held Magolor captive in one hand. The mage struggled to escape, and with every second, Void’s grip grew stronger until eventually, he was crushed- the giant's grip had squeezed all the health from him. Void Termina dropped him and Magolor’s limp body crashed to the ground. Marx screamed louder and everyone stopped attacking to watch. 

“Magolor, get up!” Marx yelled. “Get up, damn it!”

From the corner, Susie remarked, “Now that he’s dead, can we boil him?” The jester only looked at her with bloody murder in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends the Magolor shitpost era! I'm planning to start a story arc on Christmas, so you can look forward to that! And thank you to slappys-kirby-art on Tumblr, who graciously allowed me to use their pictures as inspiration!


	15. Darkness Descends Ch. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beacon is captured, and darkness descends upon Dreamland. Who will rise to stop the new threat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, as I said before, the beginning of a new story arc! I hope you enjoy it!

“The child’s power truly astounds me. Infinite power of the elements- truly a thing to behold.”

“Why yes it is, my liege. For he was even able to defeat you, lord of the night and all that is dark!”

Shadows swirled and a hiss emerged from the darkness. “ _ Silence. _ We do not speak of that day. The child shall be mine, no matter the costs.”

“Does this mean you have a plan, sir?”

“Indeed I do. This time, the plan shall not fail to capture Planet Popstar and its inferior beings.” The shadows spat out the name of the planet, his voice full of contempt and hate. “Once we capture the savior of the stars, his infinite power is mine. Mine to control, mine to use, and mine to conquer. Retrieve the young one.”

“Th-there are many younglings on Planet Popstar, my liege…”

“But you know which one I want, don’t you?” A slender, bony finger emerged and traced the smaller man’s jawline, making him shudder. “You know who it is that caused my downfall. Retrieve him.

“Retrieve Kirby of the Stars.”

* * *

Kirby hummed as he rode the spring breeze on his Warp Star. After the entire Parallel Nightmare thing with his other selves, Popstar had returned to a state of relative peace- well, as much peace as the planet ever had in one time. 

Still, the pink puff had grown quite fond of peace by now; he’d had enough cosmic horrors to deal with to last him a lifetime, but unfortunately for him, he knew he wasn’t set to die just yet. Meta Knight had told him little about their species, but if there was one thing the child had been told multiple times, it was that puffballs lived an extremely long time. Kirby would likely be the guardian of Popstar for a long time coming, and that job came with the "honor" of defeating every soul and soulless being that wanted to kill the light of the starry planet. 

Then lasers grazed the side of his Warp Star, making him stumble, and the pink puff groaned. So he’d destroyed the Halberd tons of times, and yes, he knew how much the ship meant to Meta Knight, but that didn’t mean the caped knight could use him as target practice! Kirby whirled around, ready to tell the warrior to knock it off, but to his surprise, the metal mask of the Halberd didn’t greet him- legions of monsters did. All were holding laser guns, and they all had murder in their eyes. 

The child began inhaling and spitting what he inhaled out in the form of a giant star, hopeful that it would solve the problem like it always did. But when Kirby inhaled part of the airborne army, more came to take their place. Suddenly, the puff felt a stinging pain in his back, and he turned just in time to see a medical needle firmly embedded in him. 

He could already feel the tranquilizer taking effect, and the child tried to inhale one last time. But the vortex died before it could swallow any of his enemies, and a pair of talons snatched him up before he fell asleep.

-~-~-

“Meta! Meta Knight, git out here! This here’s an emergency!” King Dedede yelled, his tone frantic and banging on the knight’s door with his hammer. “META! Don’t make me go in there an’ getcha, you lil’ orb!” 

Meta Knight opened the door, his masked eyes narrowed and his hand on Galaxia’s hilt. “I may be smaller than you, but that gives you no right to tease me about it. Now what exactly do you need?”

The king’s face was drawn with worry. “Kirby, it’s… he’s-”

At the mention of the child’s name, the knight became just as worried as his liege, or even more so. “Kirby? Has something happened to him?”

“I don’t know, Meta! I ain’t got a notion ‘bout it, but just now, the skies were full o’ monsters! An’ there was this golden flash, an’ I haven’t seen Kirby since!”

“Monsters? Sire, you should know full well by now that monsters and demons ceased attacking Popstar when Nightmare…” Meta Knight’s sentence trailed off. “No. He cannot be back, Kirby vanquished him from the face of the universe!”

“I know what I saw, Meta! Demons, monsters everywhere! I swear, the whole of Dreamland was terrified beyond belief, but wha’s funny is that none o’ them monsters came down and attacked the people. Like they were only goin’ after one thing, an’... an’ it was…”

“Kirby.” The name escaped Meta Knight’s mouth in a single breath, as if he couldn’t comprehend the idea of such a thing happening. “So, does this mean that Kirby is…”

“Gone? Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.”

* * *

Kirby awoke in a cell and tied to a brick wall with rope. A gag of some sort prevented him from opening his mouth, and because of that, he couldn’t inhale his way out if he tried. The puff’s eyes flicked from wall to wall; he could barely see anything due to the deep shadows in the room. But once his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, he could see near perfectly. 

There were no torches, no loose rocks- only the cold, unforgiving sheen of metal bars and the darkness that lay beyond them. He struggled to move in his chains, but the handcuffs held him and pressed into his body. Suddenly, the gag that had been in place before removed itself and fluttered to the ground. Kirby opened his mouth to inhale, but an eerily familiar voice floated to him through the bars. 

“Now, now, Kirby. That wouldn’t be a good idea at the moment,” the voice said, dripping with hate and overly fake cheerfulness. 

“If you’re planning to take over Popstar, you imbecile-” (‘Imbecile?’ Kirby thought. Maybe Meta Knight’s vocabulary had started to rub off on him a bit) “just know that I’ve got powerful friends back there who can kick your ass back to the sorry dimension you came from,” Kirby spat, scowling.

“My goodness. You’ve gained some backbone from when we last fought, haven’t you, Kirby?”

“Stop acting like you know me, you creep! Who the heck are you?!”

An exaggerated gasp came from the shadowy figure; thanks to the shadows, the pink puff still couldn’t see who they were. “Why, Kirby! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your old nemesis.”

Kirby was unamused, his mouth contorting into a frown. “To put it bluntly, weird shadow guy, I’ve had a lot of nemesises… or it is nemesi… but aside from that, who exactly  _ are _ you?”

“Come now. I’m sure you remember me.” The light shifted, and the child could catch fleeting glimpses of who his captor was. There were two golden horns on the top of a pale head, sunglasses that held the night itself, and a billowing cloak adorned with white stars. Realizing who the person was, the pink puff’s eyes widened comically, then hardened into a steely gaze. 

“I beat you,” Kirby hissed, his voice cold. “I  _ killed _ you. What do you want, NME?”

“I see our memories have returned. While I do prefer the name Nightmare now, you never truly banished me. Child, you may have defeated me, but in no ways am I dead,” Nightmare said, grinning widely. “Without you in my way, Popstar is mine. All shall know the true meaning of fear!”

“Popstar will never be yours!”

“I think it will. There is not much you can do to stop me.”

“Just watch and wait! Meta, and… and Dedede! They’ll find the Star Rod and vanquish you once and for all!”

Nightmare chuckled, a raspy tone that chilled the puff. “Such a fairytale ending that is. Think all you want, Kirby, but your friends do not care.”

“Yeah, they do! They… they do, don’t they?”

“Not enough to get you out! Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s something I must do. Prepare yourself, Kirby. I’m about to make life on Popstar a living nightmare.” 

Shadows fully engulfed the cell, and Nightmare retreated. He flew through space until he saw it- Popstar, a beacon of peace and light for all. Then the eldritch horror hid himself and soared straight through the sunny, blue skies of Dreamland. His first target- the Fountain of Dreams.


	16. Darkness Descends Ch. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare comes to Popstar; a knight and king try to stop him.

“The Star Rod! Thank Nova, it’s still here,” Meta Knight sighed, releasing his death grip on Galaxia. He sat down, stretching his wings; flying to the Fountain of Dreams while holding on to Dedede had worn them out.

The king leaned on his hammer, exhaling loudly. “Well, at least we know that Nightmare didn’t get ta it,” he said, shrugging. “I mean, it’s kinda obvious that Nightmare, bein’ the ugly monster he is, would c’mere first. Without the Star Rod in the way, he can take over quick.”

The knight looked up at his liege, deep in thought. “Should we move it?”

“Move what? The Star Rod?”

“It would certainly be better guarded at your castle, or on my battleship.”

“I’m not too sure ‘bout this, Meta… ya do know what happened the last time I tried movin’ the Star Rod.”

“You broke it, Your Majesty. This is different. We’d only need to relocate it so that Nightmare wouldn’t be able to get to it.”

“Yeah, but the people, Meta! Think o’ them! They’ll panic when the dreams are gone, then they’ll notice that Kirby’s gone. The whole o’ Dreamland’ll be in a panic!”

“So what are we supposed to do then? Camp here? Wait until Nightmare takes it?”

Dedede groaned, slapping his face with one hand and dragging it down. “Let’s jus’ take it fer now, and if it goes wrong, I’ll personally see ta it that the Star Rod gets back where it belongs. Happy, Meta?”

The puff crossed his arms and pouted. “Fine. Take it before anything happens, would you?” Dedede stood up and took a deep breath of air, puffing up to the top of the Fountain of Dreams. Then a clawed hand grabbed the king and held him tight, a cackle rising from the waters.

Meta Knight stepped back in shock, then drew Galaxia and took off. The warrior yelled as he rushed to attack the familiar dark hand, but another one grabbed him midflight, pinning his arms to his sides.

The knight struggled in the firm grip, and from the corner of his eye, he could see Dedede doing the same. The king had dropped his hammer in the fountain when he was grabbed, but Meta Knight still had his sword. The knight tried shifting his hold on Galaxia so he could cut into the flesh surrounding him, but the hand made it near impossible to move. 

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A silky smooth voice came from the fountain’s waters, and both knight and king looked up instantly. It was a voice they knew all too well, and suddenly, Kirby’s disappearance made sense. “It looks like I’ve stumbled upon Dreamland’s greatest ‘warriors’. Such an honor.”

“Nightmare! Wha’ do ya want with Dreamland? An’ where did ya take Kirby?” Dedede shouted, still struggling.

“Kirby is… being dealt with. And of course, without him in the way, Dreamland is mine. All I need now is to snuff the light of the Star Rod,” Nightmare proclaimed, rising so that his head was barely visible above the water.

Meta Knight held his sword tighter at the mention of Kirby’s name and with a faithful wish to Nova, he allowed Galaxia’s fiery power to flow through his body.

The hand started glowing, and Nightmare screamed as the light burned him. The smell of burning flesh drifted through the air, and the eldritch horror let them go; the warrior reigned in Galaxia’s fire as he sheathed her and caught Dedede with a flight maneuver, even going low enough so the king could grab his hammer from the depths of the fountain.

Meta Knight landed on the rim of the fountain and dropped the penguin near the base. The knight unsheathed Galaxia again and pointed it towards Nightmare, who was still reeling from the force of the holy sword’s burn.

“You two are impudent fools. Thinking you can stop me? By what? Merely moving the Star Rod?” Nightmare cackled as he fully rose, water dripping from him. “You’re forgetting one important thing. I stand between you and the Star Rod. To get to it, you’ll have to get through me first.”

* * *

Kirby sat on the stone floor of the cell. He’d been released from his chains by an unwilling guard, and even though the puff had inhaled him, the guard hadn’t given him an ability.

Nightmare really _had_ prepared for everything.

The child thought of his friends at home, of Meta Knight and Dedede. The eldritch horror hadn’t come back after he’d left, and from the hints he’d been dropping, Kirby had figured out that Nightmare was headed to- or already at- Popstar.

He rattled the chains and with a few well-aimed kicks, the rusty chains broke, the links scattering all over the floor. The puff’s stomach grumbled, reminding him of how long he’d gone without food, and he began to wonder if anyone was coming. His thoughts drifted to the knight and king, who’d surely noticed that he’d gone missing by now. The swarms of monsters would’ve warned Dedede, who- in turn- would’ve told Meta Knight, and Meta Knight would organize a group to come and find him.

That seemed most like them, and Kirby’s confidence surged.

But it dwindled again once he realized that he didn’t know where he was. All that was outside his cell was darkness, and around him, probably other cells with prisoners that either wanted to remain silent or were already dead. The child shivered at that thought, so he resigned himself to staring at the bars.

The guard in front of him, supposedly whittling a knife, turned and said, “No one’s coming for you, kid. Who’s gonna come out to the middle of nowhere to rescue you? There’s zero planets in this trash hole between the Gamble Galaxy and the Halcandran solar system. Not even trade ships go through here.”

“My friends are coming for me,” Kirby retorted, “not that you would know since you don’t have any.”

The guard sighed and slipped a plate to him before standing up. “Listen up, kid. Hopes and dreams don’t bring anything but sadness, ‘cause they ain’t ever comin’ true. Best to just forget about all this friend stuff.” Kirby devoured the plate as soon as he could reach it, and he was too busy eating to comprehend what the guard had said. It was only afterward that it hit him.

Maybe he was right. No one knew where he was… The puff shook those thoughts away and laid down on the unforgiving stone floor, drifting off to an imaginary world full of friends and food.

* * *

Dedede picked Meta Knight up and flung him towards Nightmare. The knight slashed and cut from up close while the king shot missiles out of his hammer; despite having been submerged in water, the tech inside it still worked perfectly.

Dedede charged up his mech hammer, then bashed Nightmare’s arm as the eldritch being tried to capture the airborne warrior. Nightmare roared in pain, but still he fought, releasing dark tentacles from his cloak to try and capture them. Most of them went toward Meta Knight, who quickly cut them down.

He was so absorbed in slicing off the tips of the tentacles that he didn’t see Nightmare’s hand swiftly coming up from below. 

“Meta! Watch out!” Dedede yelled, batting away energy stars and tentacles. The knight glanced at him, then turned just in time to avoid being grabbed.

Then Nightmare suddenly raked his claw-tipped fingers back down, catching the warrior unawares.

The claws tore off part of Meta Knight’s mask and sliced into his skin. Dedede winced as a jagged piece of metal fell into the fountain, sinking to the very bottom.

Hitting away the rest of the attacks, the king looked up to survey Meta before they started a new round of attacks. The knight’s left eye was closed- three long, vertical cuts made sure of that- and blood was running freely down his face. He was breathing heavily, and he grit his teeth. Even his wingbeats seemed slower than they had been before and he didn’t try any complicated techniques like he usually did.

Nightmare caught on to the warrior’s fatigue; with a devilish grin, he stabbed Meta Knight’s back before the puff could dodge it. 

The knight gasped, blood spurting from his mouth, and when Nightmare flicked him towards Dedede with uncanny strength, he fell unconscious and released Galaxia, letting it fall into the water. The king cried out as he caught Meta Knight’s limp body, the blue puff’s blood soaking through his robe and mixing with his own.

The penguin watched as Galaxia’s electricity flowed through the water and zapped Nightmare. He screeched in pain, and Dedede hurled his hammer at Nightmare’s face, one arm curled protectively around the battered knight. The hammer struck the eldritch horror square in the face, knocking him out cold, and he sank into the depths.

Dedede panted, then hugged the bloodied warrior to his chest as he began to cry.

“Meta? Hey Meta? Aw, Meta, please wake up…” The king pleaded, his voice shaking. “C’mon, Mety, jus’ for a second. I need to know yer alright. Mety Knighty?” 

Meta Knight stirred and whimpered, his paws weakly clutching Dedede’s robe. “De… Dedede..? I-I’m tired… Please just let me sleep…”

“No! No, no, no, don’t sleep again! Meta, stay awake! Please, Meta! Fer me?”

“I-I'll try… but it's cold and everything just _hurts_ \- Dedede, why does it hurt so much..?”

It tore Dedede's heart to see his normally stoic, strong knight so vulnerable. “We were in a battle, Mety. Remember? Against Nightmare.” 

The knight mumbled something inaudible, then shifted in the king's arms. “Kinda… did we win?”

The penguin smiled, despite how terrible he felt. “Yeah, we did! Man, yer sword was all _whoosh_ an’ _slash_ , and my hammer was all _wham_ , _bam_ , _wapow_! We got Nightmare real good!”

The puff closed his eyes and smiled faintly. “Glad to hear it… can I go back to sleep now?”

Dedede carefully waded into the fountain, picked up Galaxia, and pushed it into Meta Knight's paws. “Sorry to tell ya this, but no. Ya gotta stay awake, ‘kay, Meta? Hold on to Galaxia while we walk.”

The knight weakly sheathed his sword and grabbed onto Dedede's robe as the king climbed out of the fountain. “Walk? Where are we going…”

Dedede picked up his hammer and strode away from the fountain. “To the castle infirmary, duh. Ya ain't goin’ nowhere ‘til yer all wrapped up an’ bandaged.”

“But Nightmare…”

“No, Meta. As much as I wanna go chasin' after Nightmare myself, yer hurt pretty bad, y'know. If anythin' were to happen to ya, I'd never forgive myself. Now stay awake, ‘kay? Stay strong fer me, Mety.”

Meta Knight slowly opened his eyes, a twinkle in them. “Can't go against my liege's orders, can I…” The puff did his best to occupy himself, his paws toying with the fluffy lining on Dedede's robe. The king grinned widely, ignoring the tears that sprung to his eyes, and hugged the knight as he opened the door to the castle.

* * *

“Great King! Oh my Nova, what happened to you?!” Bandanna Dee exclaimed, his eyes hurriedly darting from one injury to another. “Y-your robe! It's covered in blood!!”

“Nah, there's been a misunderstanding here, Dee,” Dedede said, sighing. “Besides, ain't my blood. It's more his than mine.” The king moved, and Bandanna Dee could see the barely conscious Meta Knight in his arms.

“Sweet Nova! Meta Knight too?! What did you two _do_?”

“Not now, Dee. I swear on my kingly reign I'll tell ya, but Meta here needs medical attention stat. Especially his back, ‘cause it's real bad there.”

Bandanna started walking, the king trailing behind him. “O-of course, Great King! Nova, whatever happened must've been terrible to have even _Meta Knight_ hurt this bad…”

“It was one doozy of a battle, that's fer sure. Hate to worry ya more, Dee, but Meta an’ I just fought Nightmare.”

Bandanna Dee looked extremely shocked. “Nightmare?! I thought Kirby dealt with him, and anyway… why'd you two fight him? Shouldn't Kirby be the one to deal with that?” Then Bandana saw the concern in Dedede's eyes as he gazed at the knight, and he remembered why they were there. “Right. Meta Knight needs our help.”

Dedede sighed as he looked at the blood dripping on the floor. “Please, Dee. Meta first, an’ then I'll tell ya. Take care o’ him?” The king held out Meta Knight's limp body.

Bandanna Dee carefully took the puff and stepped inside the infirmary. “I'll take especially good care of him, but you'll have to leave me alone for a bit. I need silence in case I need to perform surgery or anything.”

Dedede flinched, then reluctantly nodded. “Send some o’ the Dees up to my room. I might need some help with…” He gestured to his injured self. “All this.” The infirmary doors closed and the king sighed, finally allowing himself to cry.

-~-~-

Bandanna Dee came by the same afternoon to tell the king that Meta Knight was recovering smoothly, and despite how injured he'd been, Dedede had immediately leaped out of bed to see him. The concerned Dee had tried to stop him, but the king barreled down the hall and into the infirmary anyway.

Meta Knight, who’d been asleep earlier, woke up just in time to see the king slam open the door with a huge grin on his face. Meta Knight made his best effort to sit up, smiling, and Dedede finally got a clear view of his knight.

For once, the knight was completely without armor. A wad of cotton was secured to his left eye with bandages- even though the king could still see a scar or two from the vicious scratch- and his wings were swathed in gauze and wrappings. One arm was in a cast, and bandages covered half of his body.

The puff was hooked up to various machines, showing numbers that the penguin couldn’t possibly understand; Dedede hadn’t yet seen the stab wound Nightmare had left, but from the sheer amount of white in between the light gray bed and the warrior’s own dark blue body, it had probably taken a lot of gauze to patch up. 

“Mety! Nova’s sakes, yer okay!” Dedede exclaimed, running up and bouncing on his bed.

“I’m stiff all over and can only see half of what I’m used to, but yes, I suppose I’m okay,” Meta Knight said, smiling. “I, at the very least, am alive.”

“But the great thing is that I was able to save Meta’s eye, Great King!” Bandanna chirped, his eyes sparkling. “It took a while, but I actually did it!”

Dedede laughed out loud and grabbed the Dee, swinging him around and around. “Well, how ‘bout that! Yer the best, Bandee!” Said Dee only pulled down his blue bandanna, covering most of his face and his blush. Then Dedede turned to the puff. “So, Mety. Ya feelin’ alright? Ya were barely conscious when I brought ya here.”

The knight stretched as much as the bandages would allow, then groaned. “Whatever Bandanna did worked beautifully. Though I must add that my wings are deathly sore and I can barely move anything.”

“Nothin’ we can do about that, sadly. Sorry, Meta. Say, Bandee, when’d ya think Meta can get on outta here?”

Bandanna peeked out and thought about it for a while, a paw scratching his head. “Assuming he doesn’t try anything crazy, Meta Knight’ll probably be out of the infirmary in a week. The back wound was notoriously hard to treat without paralyzing him further, but yeah, give it a week and he can get transferred to the Halberd.”

“That’s too long! Nightmare could be doin’ things to Kirby, and we need to find him and destroy that stupid dark man!”

“B-but Great King, any sooner and he’ll be at risk of getting injured again!”

“He ain’t gon’ be alone in his battleship, Dee. Meta’s got an entire _crew_ dotin’ on him, and ‘sides, I’ll be right there with him.”

“My crew does not dote on me! There’s a difference between loyalty and love!”

“Whatever, Meta. See, Bandee? He’ll be fine.” Bandanna looked to the floor uncomfortably. Affected by his silence, Dedede looked out the window, trying to avert his gaze to anywhere but the small Dee in front of him. Then the king heard small sobs, and he turned around in concern. And based on the stricken look on Meta Knight’s bare face, Dedede could tell that they were both worried about Bandanna Dee breaking down in front of them.

“I-I’m sorry, Great King,” Bandanna sniffled, taking off his signature bandanna and crying into it. “I-it’s just that I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, because- because Kirby isn’t here to save us this time, and I really want the two of you to come home in one piece. You’re both really special to me and I couldn’t bear it if one of you d… di…”

Dee didn’t finish his sentence; he didn’t have to. Meta Knight sighed, leaned forward, and pulled Bandanna into an awkward hug. Dedede joined in with a melancholy smile, and they all stayed like that for a while. 

“Hey, Dee. Maybe ya should come with. Y’know, make sure we don’t die on the battlefield like ya want,” the king offered. “Certainly lot better than stayin’ here and wonderin’ _what if_ . ‘Cause I’ma tell ya right now, _what if_ ’s don’t change a single thing about what happened. O’ course it’s normal to think about it sometimes, but the only way you’ll really know fer sure is if ya go ahead and try. So come with?” Dedede stretched his hand out and looked at Dee curiously.

Bandanna Dee looked up, his eyes glistening with tears. Then he took the king’s hand in his paw and shook it furiously. “I’d really like that, Great King! I’ll definitely come with you.”

“That’s wonderful, Bandanna,” Meta Knight said, a warm half-smile giving a fatherlike quality to his silver eyes. “You’ll be an amazing ally.”

“I’m glad you think so! And, um, Great King..?” Even though he had no mouth, the knight and king had the feeling that Bandanna was smiling as hard as he could. “Thank you. You and Meta Knight both. I promise I won’t let you down!”

“Then we’re kickin’ that overgrown nursery blanket to the curb!” Dedede crowed. “For Kirby, the friend that he is!”

Meta Knight stood up, a few wires detaching from the force of it. “For Popstar, the beacon of hope that shall not be put out!” 

Bandanna jumped up. “For peace in all the Gamble Galaxy!!” 

“We’re gonna win, no matter what. There’s one thing that dark heart o’ Nightmare’s doesn’t know, and that’s friendship. He’s goin’ down!”

“Alright! Let’s go save the world!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the decade! Thank you for sticking with me for the past year or so, and thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos on, or commented on my works (or all three)! See you all in 2020!


	17. Darkness Descends Ch. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedede and Meta Knight are on the road to recovery after their battle with Nightmare, but they get an unexpected surprise; meanwhile, Nightmare performs some... science with Kirby.

Kirby perked up as someone unlocked his cell. The guard unlocking it seemed nervous, as if something had gone wrong.

“You're to come with me,” he said. “The boss would like to perform some experiments on you. But he says to let you contact your so-called friends in case you don't make it back alive.”

“Why wouldn’t I make it back alive?” The puff asked skeptically, stepping back. Suddenly, his freedom wasn’t what he thought it was. “And who’s the boss? Nightmare?”

“Nightmare exactly.” The guard looked around anxiously, expecting the lord of shadows to jump out at any time. “Don’t tell him I said this, but I think things went badly for him on Popstar. There were so many burns, and the only weapon that can give him those kinds of burns besides the Star Rod is the Galaxia sword! Explains the huge amounts of cuts on him too. Then there were all these explosion marks, the kind you get from missiles, and a few bruises…”  Kirby let the guard prattle on about what had probably happened on Popstar as he thought- something that he seemed to do a lot since he'd been captured. 

Galaxia- Meta Knight’s trusty, beloved sword. 

He brought it with him everywhere, so naturally, it would be the knight's chosen weapon. 

But there were also the missiles; Dedede was able to shoot those from his jet hammer! The wounds on Nightmare matched the description of his friends' weapons exactly, and Kirby almost jumped with excitement. Nightmare had fought Meta Knight and Dedede, and Nightmare had lost! 

It sounded like he'd lost pretty badly too, and the child was ecstatic. He couldn’t keep a squeal back, and the guard stopped talking to glance at him suspiciously. Then he pushed open the rusty bars and Kirby felt a rough hand on his paw before he was grabbed and unceremoniously dragged out the door. The puff scrambled to his feet and ran after the guard, who was still maintaining his firm grip.

“Only a minute, alright, kid? As soon as you start talking, I'm starting a timer. And you can only call one person, so if they don't pick up, it's over for you.” Kirby nodded, and he was led to a room with a telephone in it. The guard shut the door and waited outside, occasionally peering inside. The child picked up the phone and dialed what he hoped was Meta Knight's number. Kirby waited anxiously as the phone rang, silently hoping that the knight would just happen to be on the Halberd. After a few rings, the puff heard his friend's deep voice and he grinned widely.

~-~-~

“Who is this, and how did you get this number?” Meta Knight asked, his voice guarded and wary.

“Meta! It's me!” Kirby said, almost laughing at the sheer joy of knowing the knight was okay.

There was a sharp gasp from the other side of the line. “K-Kirby? You… you're alive.”

“Heck yeah I am, Meta! Surprised?” Kirby heard a choking sob, and he immediately tensed. “D-did I make you cry? Sorry, Meta…”

“No, no, Kirby, it's just- I thought you were dead after Nightmare captured you. Do forgive me.”

“It's okay, Meta. Do you need to know where I am, or..?”

“That would be helpful, Kirby. Has anyone said anything to you that could point to where you are?”

“Yeah! The guard that's in front of my cell a lot said that we're… we're…”

“Anything will help, Kirby.”

“I think he said we're in between the Gamble Galaxy and the Halcandran solar system. And he said that there were no planets in between too.”

Meta Knight cursed. “I should've known. Nightmare isn't stupid, so of course he'd imprison you in a base in the Novean wasteland. It'd be near impossible to find a secret base there.”

“Novean wasteland?”

“A place where there is quite literally nothing except for asteroids. It stretches for thousands of miles, though luckily-” here, the knight's voice took on an air of pride- “I equipped the Halberd with improved scanners and radar. We'll find you in no time.”

“I…” Kirby glanced to the door and saw the guard tapping his wrist, warning him that time was up. “I gotta go, Meta. They only gave me a minute.”

“Alright then. I'm glad you're okay, and please stay strong, Kirby.” 

“I will, Meta! For you and Dedede!” The child hung up, and the guard chose that moment to burst in and grab him.

* * *

Meta Knight sighed as he placed the phone back. It had been a good decision to move back to the Halberd; if he didn't, he would never have gotten Kirby's call, and they would be at a dead  end for a while. The knight looked around, then slowly got off his bed, wincing as his injuries stung. He limped over to his desk and dragged himself into the chair, pulling out a space map and a pen. The warrior stared forlornly at his armor, left on the floor, and started to mark the map with his pen. 

Dedede knocked on the door, opening it without a second thought, and peered inside. “Now, Mety. Ya ain't supposed to be outta bed,” the king scolded, wagging a finger. “Anyway, whatcha doin' at yer desk? Ya know yer excused from work until ya get better, right?”

“Your Majesty, please, you don't understand,” Meta Knight pleaded. “I got a call right before you came in. It was Kirby.”

The king's eyes widened, tears threatening to spill out. “No. Nightmare caught ‘im, there ain’t no way he coulda contacted ya.”

“He called me at this very phone. He told me where he was, and truth be told, I…” The knight wiped at a few stray tears with his glove. “I… cried. We haven’t heard from Kirby since he was captured, and now…”

“We actually have a lead, don’t we? We can actually find ‘im if we launch the Halberd right now?”

“Yes, but being the one who installed the new sensors, I’m the only one who knows what they mean. We’ll need them since we’re going to the Novean wasteland.”

Dedede looked closer at the map the warrior had on his desk and groaned. “Ain’t that place fulla asteroids an’ stuff? It’d be a literal nightmare- no pun intended- to navigate the Halberd through it, Meta. An’ yer still injured! Ya ain’t in any shape to pilot the Halberd like that!”

“We must find Kirby first, no matter what state I’m in. I’ve already gotten at least three threats sent from throughout the galaxy. Without Kirby, Popstar will fall.” The king sighed, nodded, and wistfully scooped Meta Knight up in his arms. 

“Alright. But I’m helpin’ ya every step o’ the way, got it?” The knight nodded, and Dedede smiled. “Good. Now let’s go save Kirby.”

* * *

“We’re nearly there,” the guard said gruffly as he dragged Kirby through the halls. Since they had left the phone room, they’d turned down countless paths and corners, and were now standing before a giant metal pair of double doors. “Don’t try to piss the boss off. He’s already pissed enough as it is from his defeat on Popstar.” He opened the doors and threw the puff into a dark room before slamming the door shut. The child backed up until his feet hit the wall, and Nightmare materialized before him.

“How’d it go, big guy?” Kirby asked in a fleeting moment of boldness. “How was your first attempt at taking over Popstar, huh?”

“We do not speak of that. Silence, puffball,” Nightmare growled. He brushed a bit of dust off his cloak, but the child could still see just how many injuries the eldritch had on him.

“Why? Did you  _ lose _ ?”

“While I have obtained some injuries and my opponents fought valiantly, I have given them much more than they did to me. I believe I sufficiently paralyzed or killed one of those who fought me.”

Kirby felt chills inside him. “You don’t know who you fought?”

“Of course I do. The esteemed knight and king of Dreamland themselves, Meta Knight and King Dedede. It was truly quite an honor.”

The puff started sweating as the thought of either one of them dying swirled around his mind. He’d called Meta Knight earlier, but maybe… Dedede? “You  _ killed  _ one of them?!”

“Unless I hear otherwise, it’s safer to assume that I did.”

“Y-you didn’t…” Kirby gulped as a bony hand emerged from the shadows and grabbed him. Even on the brink of death, the puff’s thoughts revolved only around his friends, lying injured and possibly dead. His thoughts were quite literally jolted out of him when Nightmare tossed him into a cage, a massive shock running through the child’s body. 

Kirby screamed repeatedly as the lightning assaulted his veins, then gasped for breath as his body absorbed the electricity and gave him the Spark ability. Nightmare hummed thoughtfully and he pushed a button, summoning a vortex of wind that sucked away the puff’s ability. 

Kirby dragged himself up from the fetal position he’d assumed when the lightning started and tentatively touched his burns, wincing when they stung. 

But the eldritch chuckled, pushing another button. Streams of freezing liquid jetted from the corners, numbing the puff’s skin and making him shiver uncontrollably. It made the sting of his lightning burns lessen and disappear, but it was replaced with a numbness that was scarier than the burning itself. 

The child tried his best to shield himself from the jets of water, but ultimately failed. He couldn’t feel most of his body, but all of what he could feel was almost entirely stiff. Kirby worked up the energy to inhale, and a stray piece of ice flew into his mouth. 

As soon as he swallowed, the water no longer froze him on contact; instead, they became refreshing waves as the puff gained the Ice ability. He sighed happily as feeling returned to his paws and feet, but Nightmare immediately swung open the cage and seized Kirby with an enraged roar.

“What is this power you hold?!” Nightmare screeched, his glasses crackling with electricity. “Your infinite power! Why can I not harness it?”

“Because it runs on love and friendship, both of which you lack,” the puff retorted, turning away. “So don't even think about using me to take over the universe.”

“Your power will be mine, puffball. Your friends are not coming. They do not care for you, and in fact,  _ no one _ cares enough to come out into the middle of nowhere.”

“They. Are. Coming. My  _ friend _ told me they were coming, and my friends always pull through.”

“Believe your falsities. You will return in a week, ready for some new experiments.” Kirby huffed, turning away, and Nightmare grabbed the ability off the top of the puff’s head before disappearing. The guard opened the doors again, a faint ray of light shining through, and he beckoned for the puff to follow him. Kirby trotted after him, gasping for breath after being forced into his abilities.

“I heard what you said back there. You know, it almost makes me feel pity at they way you’ll be let down when your friends don’t come,” the guard remarked. 

“I’m going to keep believing! No matter what everyone says,” the pink puff said, finally catching up. “My friends are coming. I’m sure of it!” 

The guard shook his head. “Believe whatever you want, but when you work for Nightmare, you learn not to hope. Best for you to learn that lesson early, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all for reading this story arc! It really helps, knowing that people read and enjoy my work :) 
> 
> I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed. Please know that I am a high schooler with mostly advanced classes, so I don't have time to write or improve on my stories as much as I'd like. But I try my best to update often, so please bear with me here!


	18. Darkness Descends Ch. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this took forever to finish! Thank NOVA finals are over!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed. I didn't have much time to write, since I had to study for finals, and I wanted the next chapter up as soon as possible.

“Sir Meta Knight! The Halberd is fueled and ready for launch, sir!” Axe reported. “We launch at your command!”

Dedede glanced around the corner, watching Bandanna Dee chat with the crew. “Ya sure yer ready to let yer crew see ya like this?” He asked. “Ya just got transferred here, with only me to take care o' ya. Yer crew ain't seen how hurt ya are.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I've certainly been through worse,” Meta Knight evenly replied. “When Kirby first crashed the Halberd, I was unconscious for a full two weeks.”

“But ya look absolutely terrible, Mety. All yer bandages an’ such.”

“Being a royal knight does that to you, especially when the planet is often targeted by all-powerful beings that have enough power to obliterate a few planets and the occasional star.”

Dedede looked uncomfortable, turning away from the knight in his arms. “And yet ya still show up to the castle… Mety, ya really need a break if you just got freaking  _ stabbed _ for Nova’s sake and say ya’ve been through worse.”

“Please, Dedede. It’s alright.” The king sighed and turned the corner, slowly letting the warrior down before grabbing onto his paw. 

At the sound of the penguin’s heavy footsteps, Axe clicked a few more things on the dashboard, then turned. “Your Majesty, glad to have you aboard. Sir Meta Knight! There you a- Nova’s grace, what happened to you, sir?” 

Meta Knight stepped into the folds of Dedede's robe, a nervous smile on his face. “There was a fight. Nothing quite too serious.”

“He got backstabbed- literally,” the king said bluntly. “Prolly woulda died if not for Bandee.” The penguin scooped his knight up and held him close. “I was real worried 'bout ya, ya know that?” 

Axe looked horrified as the blue puff gently nuzzled Dedede's face with his unbandaged cheek. “Sir, you really should stop getting yourself into such messes. Who was it this time?”

“Don't fret, Axe. I don't want to trouble you with such nonsense. Is the Halberd ready for launch as you say?”

“I- um… Yes! Of course, sir!”

“Good. As soon as we launch, go into hyperspace and set a course for the Novean wasteland.”

“But that place is full of nothing, sir…”

“Nothing for you, but everything for us.” Meta Knight's gaze hardened, a steely determination in his eyes. “The fate of Popstar depends on us. Launch the Halberd.”

~-~-~-~

A few minutes later, the Halberd was cruising through space. The chaos of the hyperspace tunnel had soon passed, since the wasteland itself was no further than a few light-years away- a distance easily traveled by the massive battleship. 

Dedede surveyed the room in awe; the control room was filled with all sorts of tech that he'd never seen. Bandanna Dee was intently looking at a monitor and occasionally pushing a few buttons, sometimes glancing up to survey the area around him. 

But Meta Knight stood in the midst of it all, glancing at lines and dots on a huge space map as he piloted the Halberd. The knight glanced at the penguin, and since the king had forced him to leave all his armor in his room, Dedede could see his half-hidden warm smile. 

“If you'd like to help, you can just ask,” he teased. “That's what Bandanna did, and he's doing just fine.”

“Aw shucks, Meta, I don't think I can,” the king said. “I dunno what any o' this does, and I'd hate to ruin yer ship.”

“We're in the general vicinity of the base, or so the radars tell me. Just look at this screen here, and tell me if there's an anomaly.”

“An ano-what now?”

“Anomaly. It means that there's something different than the usual, and it's normally a flashing red dot. One of those red dots could be Nightmare's base, so tell me if you see anything at all. Better a false alarm than completely missing the base.”

“Sounds easy enough. I'll help ya out then.” Meta Knight grinned before turning back to the plethora of screens in front of him, carefully checking each one while steering. Dedede put one arm on the dashboard and fiddled with the buttons. Then he sneezed, his hand slamming down on a button; the king blinked, looking at the button that he'd accidentally pressed and paling when he saw that it was labeled "Shoot Rocket". 

A rocket shot out and Dedede was vaguely aware of Bandanna Dee rushing towards the knight in a frenzied panic. The rocket exploded, and the three all looked towards the windshield.

“Uh, Meta? Sorry ‘bout that,” the king apologized. “I sorta pushed the button when I sneezed. So yeah, sorry ‘bout wastin’ one o’ yer rockets and makin’ it explode like that.”

Meta Knight stared blankly into space for a while, his wings twitching. “My rockets don’t explode like that unless they run out of fuel or crash into something. Sailor Dee and Trident made sure of that before they loaded them into the launcher.” 

“But th-there’s nothing there, Sir Meta Knight! How could it crash into something that isn't there- wait a second…”

Dedede slowly turned towards the warrior. “Meta. Didn't ya say Nightmare's base was invisible?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“If Nightmare's base is invisible and yer rockets have to crash into somethin' to explode, then what did we just hit?”

A look of realization dawned on Meta Knight's face, his one visible eye widening. “Oh.”

* * *

Alarms wailed, guards screamed as they ran around in circles- it was complete chaos inside the Nightmare base. Kirby could only watch as Nightmare teleported from room to room, there one second and gone the next. He came to a stop in front of Kirby’s cell, making sure that nothing had happened to him, and the eldritch grabbed a shaking guard by the collar of his neck.

“What in the name of Galactic Nova is going on?!” Nightmare roared, sending everyone in his vicinity reeling back. 

“We’ve been attacked, Lord Nightmare!” The guard shrieked back. “A missile blew straight through the R-23 sector! Forces are attempting to cover the hole as we speak!”

“The ship that fired it may still be out there! What are you fools doing, bumbling around the dungeon like this?! Go attack that ship!”

“U-uh, yes sir!” The guard ran off as fast as he could, and Nightmare disappeared from sight. The other guards departed one by one, and once Kirby was sure no one was around, a big smile broke out on his face. Even though he was worried about Meta Knight and Dedede being attacked by Nightmare’s forces, the child knew that they’d be all right. And of course, Meta Knight would’ve flown here with everyone on the Halberd, reinforcing the puff’s faith that his friends would be just fine. 

Kirby stood up- the guards hadn’t bothered to keep him in chains ever since he’d shattered them- and carefully climbed into his wooden bed, laying his head on the rough cotton pillow. He hadn’t slept in a while, since he was always staring into the tiny pocket of space that his window provided as he thought of his friends. The child twisted a little to see out of it, and when he saw the familiar glint of the Battleship Halberd, he couldn’t help but pump one paw into the air.

* * *

“Sir Meta Knight! Look! Nightmare’s forces are out there!” Bandanna Dee exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Meta Knight scowled and slammed his hand on a button, making a microphone pop up in front of him. “Crew, get ready for an aerial assault. Mace, Trident, I want you on left side guns. Axe, Javelin, take the right side guns. Sailor, as usual, you’ll be putting the Combo Cannon to good use. Everyone, to your positions.” The knight sighed briefly and turned to the Waddle Dee at his side. “Bandanna, I want you to help Sailor with the Combo Cannon. There’s too many components for him to work alone, and the two of you would make it much easier.”

“Of course, Meta Knight! I’ll do my best!” Bandanna ran off and Dedede looked worriedly at his knight. He certainly wasn’t ready for battle yet- he’d only gotten transferred two days ago and they were already taking over Nightmare’s base. Suddenly, as if to prove the king’s point, the blue puff began to sway and he grabbed the dashboard for support.

“Meta! Sweet Nova, Meta, wha’s wrong?” Dedede asked, uncontrolled concern in his voice. 

“I- I really don’t know, I just became unsteady for a bit there,” Meta Knight said, clutching his head with one paw. “I’m not feeling too well, either…”

Gunfire could be heard all of a sudden, and the king had to shout to be heard. “Ya shouldn't be goin' out there! There must be somethin' wrong with yer wounds, lemme check ‘em!”

“I- okay, then… just put me on my bed, I'm  _ burning _ …” Dedede scooped him up and quickly carried the knight to his room, the crew glancing at him before continuing to fire at Nightmare's legions. The penguin quickly placed the warrior on his bed and unwrapped the bandages, wincing at the mere sight of the wound underneath. Even so, it didn't seem infected, and Dedede tried his best to wrap it up again. 

He sighed, relieved, and Meta Knight rolled to show the bandages on his face. The king shuddered as he thought of what had caused it, but he was able to calm his shaking hands enough to check the wound on the puff's face. Dedede cried out immediately, dropping the gauze on the floor. The scars were red, a stark contrast against the warrior's dark blue skin, and they were swollen to the point of sealing his eye shut. 

“For the love of Nova, Meta! Why didn't ya tell us it was this bad?” The king asked, putting his hand on the knight's face. “And ya really are burnin'... Meta, there ain't no way I'm lettin' ya storm Nightmare's base. No way, no how.”

“Is… is it really that bad, Dedede…” Meta Knight murmured, shivering as the king gently touched the swollen scars. “I guess it is. It's so cold, Your Majesty…”

“Yer fever's raging, Meta. Ya can't go out there, not like this! Please, Mety Knighty, you'll die!”

“But what about Kirby? We have to save him-”

“Not if yer gonna die in the process! Yer too precious to me, Meta, ya can't die. I'm beggin' ya here. Please, please stay on the Halberd 'till ya recover.”

The knight struggled to push himself up, his paws shaking. “We have to get to Kirby before anything can happen to him. You should understand, your Majesty!”

“Well, Kirby wouldn't like it if ya died, would he?”

“I- no…” The blue puff coughed, his wings flaring up to cover his mouth. They pulled away once his coughing fit had finished, and Dedede gasped when he saw the blood covering them.

“ _ Baaaaaandeeeeeee! _ ”

* * *

Kirby frowned when he woke up. The Halberd was very clearly still there, but the guards had stopped panicking and business had returned to normal. Why had his friends stopped attacking? They knew where the base was, so what was the problem? The puff paced around his room, his mind frantic, when another guard showed up and unlocked the bars. 

“Nightmare wants a discussion with you,” he said. “No experimentation or nothing. Just a talk.” Kirby nodded, determined to find out what had happened to his friends. Knowing them, they wouldn’t let up on an attack until the otherworldly being they were fighting was dead, and stopping the attack midway was nothing like Meta Knight. He’d order a full-on assault, no doubt. The child knew something dreadfully bad had happened to him, and he had to find out what. Meta Knight was the only other puffball… well, the only  _ benevolent _ puffball in the entire Gamble Galaxy. 

Kirby had to know if something was wrong since the knight was often very secretive about his well-being; anything could've happened to him and he _still_ would've said he was fine. The guard, however, was oblivious to his internal turmoil and silently led the puff to a lavish meeting room. The door was open, allowing Kirby to get a good look at just how massive and beautiful it was. 

The carpet was midnight blue, just like Nightmare’s cloak (and Meta Knight, Kirby thought with a pang in his heart), and a huge diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling. Nightmare himself actually looked normal; he wore a burgundy suit, black pants, and dark sunglasses. He sat at a mahogany table topped with gold, and as soon as Kirby stepped in, the eldritch horror grinned. 

“You wish to know what happened to your friends, yes?” Nightmare asked, his voice a smooth purr. 

“Yes. Tell me,” Kirby replied, steeling himself for what was yet to come. 

Nightmare stood up and transformed back into his usual self, the same sly grin on his face. “If you say so. Who would you like to start with? The one I merely injured? Or the one I stabbed and left to die?” The child stayed silent, and he cackled.

“Fine, fine. I shall first start with the blue one. Meta Knight, my former demon.” Kirby gaped at this news; Meta Knight, the greatest warrior in the galaxy and one of his best friends, used to be a demonbeast? “Don’t look so shocked, Kirby. Surely he has told you about his heritage? I suppose not, though it’s still a shock how my heir could wield the Galaxia sword, the bane of all evil. But that is a story for another time. What I did to him is surely what you want to hear.”

“Stop changing the subject and tell me already! I don’t care that Meta was a demon, he’s still my friend!”

“Fiesty. I’ll need to do some more experimenting to test your mettle before your so-called friends come to get you.”   


“Tell me what happened to Meta Knight!”

“If you so insist. He’s quite the fighter with his sword, but near-sighted. Exploiting that, I was able to rake my claws down the side of his face and literally backstab him,” Nightmare said, a touch of pride in his voice. The puff gasped, thinking of how hurt Meta Knight must’ve been from the attack. When he had called- had the knight been injured then? Kirby began to tear up, finally realizing just how selfish he had been; the warrior had been gravely injured, and he had assumed the worst when they hadn’t come in time. 

Meta Knight, like most others, was mortal and with that mortality came the need to heal in time. The child wanted to cry, but Nightmare would surely take pleasure in it. He kept the tears to himself and allowed the eldritch horror to keep talking as the puff wallowed in his misery.

* * *

“His fever’s pretty high,” Bandanna Dee murmured, holding up a thermometer. “104 degrees. And with all the swelling and redness around his left eye, I have no choice but to say it’s infected. It must’ve been before you brought him to the infirmary, Great King. There must’ve been some dirt or something that went into the wound.” Dedede and Bandanna were sitting on Meta Knight’s bed, watching him with concern. The king was particularly worried; he had been so sure that something was not right, and seeing his greatest knight trembling and sweating under a mound of blankets hurt his heart.  Meta Knight was supposed to be stronger than this, so much stronger. He had defeated countless threats to Popstar, helped them out on so many adventures. 

But not even the greatest warrior in the galaxy could stop himself from getting hurt.

“He- he’s gonna get better, right Bandee? Ain’t there anythin’ ya can do to help ‘im?” Dedede pleaded, one hand stroking the blue puff’s head. “Aren’t ya like the medic at my castle? Ya gotta do somethin’, Bandee!”

Bandanna Dee put one paw to his face, deep in thought. “I can try to wipe it down with some cold water. The wound needs to be clean and dry for a while before I can bandage it, and with Meta Knight’s fever this high, he’ll need to cool down, and fast. Great King, would you mind-”

“O’ course not. Jus’ keep him safe for me, Dee.” Bandanna nodded slightly as Dedede left the room. The king could still hear gunfire, even though the knight’s personal room was nowhere near the battle stations. It was definitely bad if Meta Knight’s crew had to use that much firepower to keep Nightmare’s forces away. Dedede tried his best to forget about the gunfire and Nightmare as he bustled from room to room, gathering supplies and food. 

Once his arms were laden with cold water, towels, and bandages, he carefully slid the door open with his foot and walked in. To his surprise, Meta Knight was now sitting and talking with Bandanna Dee, the former calmly explaining something while the latter shook with worry. The king stepped closer, intrigued.

“-can’t do this, Sir Meta Knight! You’re still too injured and though Nova knows otherwise, weak! We can’t carry that out until you’re well enough to fight!”

“Kirby is waiting for us to storm Nightmare’s base. We have to, whether we like it or not.”

“Meta? Dee?” Dedede asked. “What’s goin’ on?” Both of them looked surprised at his presence, and Bandanna squeaked.

“Great King! Meta Knight’s proposing that we attack the Nightmare base anyway,” Dee exclaimed, waving his paws about. “I mean, we would need the Star Rod and he’s still so sick, tell him that we  _ can’t _ do this! Even though I brought the Star Rod, it wouldn’t make a difference…”

Meta Knight looked at the Dee skeptically. “You brought the Star Rod?”

“Yeah, it’s right here.” Bandanna reached into the blue cloth on his head and pulled out the sparkling rod; both knight and king stared at it as if in a trance.

“Meta,” Dedede slowly began, feeling his way around the words, “I understand ya wanna go out there, but ya can’t because o’ yer injury. Now, if ya  _ really _ wanna go out there, tell me one good reason why I should let ya.” Bandanna Dee started to protest, but the king held up one hand for him to be silent. “I hafta see it from both yer viewpoints. Meta, if ya would?”

The knight sighed and pulled out Galaxia. “I have my sword, one of the only things that can hurt Nightmare just as much as the Star Rod, if not worse. And though I may not be in the… best of conditions, Galaxia is an amazing fighter.”

“Not like ya can summon her or anythin’. It’d be a lot easier if ya could…” Dedede’s sentence trailed off at a flash of golden light, and he closed his eyes to shield them from the brilliant brightness.

When he finally opened them again, Galaxia stood before them.


	19. Of Dads and Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We interrupt your irregularly scheduled Darkness Descends chapter to bring you this wonderfully sweet, tooth-rotting fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff is needed after the great angst that is the Darkness Descends story arc, so here you go :)

“Who’s got the remote?” Dedede yelled, clutching a full bowl of popcorn and barely saving it from falling.

“I’ve got it, daddy!” Kirby chirped, bouncing on the sofa. “Papa Meta dug it out of the sofa!”

Meta Knight froze, slowly turning towards the child. “Did you just…”

“Call us yer dads?” The king finished. He set the popcorn down on the nearby coffee table, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Kirby looked at them innocently, his paws still holding the remote. “Was it wrong?”

The knight glanced at his liege, who had a wide grin on his face. “Of course not. It was… simply unexpected, that’s all. I, for one, didn’t think you cared about us quite so much.”

“Of course I do! Silly dad Meta! I’ve known you for  _ years _ now!” The pink puff threw his paws in the air; in doing so, he let go of the remote, which flew straight into Meta Knight’s lap.

“You.” Dedede picked Kirby up, the child giggling as he was lifted. “Yer the most precious, adorable lil’ child I ever did see.”

The knight rolled his eyes, though he did so amusedly, and held up the TV remote as he took off his mask and armor. “We had better get started watching this, or it'll get late before we can finish.” 

Dedede chuckled, picked up the popcorn and jumped onto the sofa. Meta Knight flew into the air from the force of the impact and landed in the king's lap, much to his dismay. he

The penguin only laughed, grabbed the remote, and turned the movie on. Both puffballs settled into Dedede's fluffy robe and watched the movie begin.

* * *

A few hours later, Kirby had succeeded in dozing off. He was snoozing peacefully, his paws grabbing onto the fluffy sleeves. 

Meta Knight was struggling to stay awake without the cold metal of his armor, and had to constantly shake himself to make sure he didn't fall asleep in between Dedede's gentle stroking. 

The king chuckled and brought the puff into a side hug. “Tired, Mety?” Dedede asked playfully, his hand still stroking the puff's head. 

“No, of course not, Your… Majesty…” Meta Knight yawned and snuggled closer into the penguin's side.

“Here now, ya don't gotta pretend with me. I know yer tired, and so am I. Ya can sleep.”

“It would… be improper of me… considering our roles…”

Dedede pulled the knight in closer and lifted a part of his robe over the puff. “Meta. C'mon, sleep. Ya know I don't care ‘bout roles and such. I jus’ care ‘bout yer wellbeing, and if yer tired, then sleep.”

Meta Knight felt his eyes closing as the warmth rushed over him in a relaxing wave. “Your Majesty…”

“Sleep, Meta. Nothin' can hurt ya here, and if ya have any nightmares, well, what better protection to have than the king o' Dreamland?” 

The king smiled slightly when he saw the warrior's tension disappear from his shoulders. “That's right, Meta. Get a good night's rest.” 

The only answer was the sound of the blue puff's steady breathing, and Dedede felt his heart warm at the ragtag bunch he called his family. 

So what if he had lost his home, lost the only relatives he'd ever known? 

He had found a new home, one that made him feel special and accepted. A stoic knight, a carefree child, his loyal Dees, and himself. 

What more did a king need?


	20. Darkness Descends Ch. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A king decides to storm the base while a child thinks about his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated in a while, sorry! School's been hard on me and I haven't had as much time to write, thanks to all the extracurriculars my parents have me do. 
> 
> There is some really important information at the bottom, so please read it!

Galaxia looked every bit the holy entity she was, despite being a puffball herself. Light emanated from her golden body, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow. Ruby red eyes glanced at them from underneath a white mask- a near-perfect replica of her champion’s. At her side, where Meta Knight would normally keep Galaxia, was a deep blue blade with a silver hilt. Without words, she walked over to Meta Knight, who was still lying half-conscious on his bed, and placed her hand on his head. 

“It’s worse than I thought,” she worried, her voice soft and lilting. “Oh, my champion…”

Dedede finally broke out of his daze and stood up straighter. “So ya... yer Galaxia? The one Meta always talks to in his head?” He asked skeptically.

The golden puff nodded slowly, a twinkle in her eyes; it pained the king to see just how similar she was to his own blue knight. “The one and only, though I cannot stay for long.” She glanced at the bedridden warrior. “I draw on Meta Knight’s energy to be in my physical form like this. For me to stay here very long, well… it would make him worse than he already is.”

“Galaxia…” Bandanna Dee sighed, his voice full of wonder. “Cool! What sword tricks can you do? Do you have cool magic like Sir Meta Knight does? Can you  _ fly _ ?”

The golden puff chuckled lightly. “Not so fast, young one. I don’t wish to harm my champion any longer, so I will need to switch into my spiritual form.” There was another flash of light, and instead of a physical body, she floated in wisps of light. 

Dedede could already see that Meta Knight was already recovering, his wings twitching as he sat up and rubbed his head; the king was delighted, and immediately went over to engulf him in a hug. The knight, for once, didn't protest in any way, mainly because of how drained he was.

“And now I can answer your questions, young one. I can do many sword tricks, and I have light and fire magic to contrast that of my champion's. I can also fly.” At that, two scaled dragon wings revealed themselves before swishing back into her flowy silver cape. “Now to change the subject. I heard much of your conversation about storming the Nightmare base. While I too am worried about Meta Knight's current state, I believe he should go.”

Dedede and Bandanna Dee started to yell at the same time, but the latter quieted. “Yer crazy! Ya can't have Meta go out like that! He can't even fight!”

“He cannot. However, while I am a spirit, my attacks are very much physical.” Galaxia shot a ball of fire to the metal floor, causing a smoking black dent. She ignored the pointed glare Meta Knight was giving from behind, and instead smiled.

“So what you're saying is that you can sub in for Meta Knight?” Bandanna Dee said. “Because if you can, I guess it'd be fine to break in.”

“I indeed can cover for my champion. The only drawback, of course, is that I cannot leave his side. Both my physical and spiritual forms are bound to the sword Meta Knight carries, and as such, one of you will have to carry him and make sure that he's alright.”

“Don't gotta say  _ that _ twice!” Dedede tightened his loving grip on the knight as he dabbled water on the puff's head. “But we can't storm the base now. We gotta make sure Meta's well enough to go before we can.”

Bandanna Dee nodded. “That's right! We're not going until Meta Knight's better.”

“Then good luck to you, and godspeed on your mission,” Galaxia intoned, her eyes closed. Then in another flash of light, she disappeared.

* * *

Kirby returned to his cell with a weird feeling in his heart. The gory descriptions of what Nightmare did to his friends lingered in his mind, but even that paled in comparison to another fact. 

Meta Knight- his trusted friend and longtime ally. 

It was nearly impossible for someone to consider him a demon or anything close to it; he was just  _ that _ loyal to Dreamland, even if it didn't seem like it. Once Kirby had gotten past the warrior's cold exterior, the child found that the knight was a sweets-loving, adorable-faced puff much like himself. 

There was no way he was a demon crafted by Nightmare- and yet he was. Kirby started to wonder about what else Meta Knight had hidden from him, but the child quickly realized that this was what Nightmare wanted. After all, his friendships and trust in said friendships had been the only thing keeping him going ever since he'd been captured. 

Breaking the trust would've made him hopeless and just like everyone else in the dungeon. 

“Why am I even listening to what that guy says anyway?” Kirby asked himself, suddenly wondering why he'd listened in the first place. “Nightmare probably spouted some random shit at me! Wait, did I just say a no-no word…” 

The child looked around the dungeon, relieved that no one had heard him. “Well, at least Meta and Dedede aren't here… yet! They're not here  _ yet _ ! They're coming, I know they are!” Thinking about his friends made him remember how lonely he was, and Kirby stopped ranting to himself about the use of his no-no word. 

He hadn't seen his friends in so long, and all he wanted was to be in their loving embrace. But they were coming soon, weren't they? The Halberd was parked right outside, and Kirby had heard the gunfire as they took down Nightmare's forces. Who else was with them, he wondered. Maybe some of the Star Allies had come to help! The puff climbed onto the bed, scrabbled up to the round window, and stared wistfully at the Halberd- so close, yet so far.

* * *

Meta Knight had finally fallen asleep, his breathing soft and even, and for the first time in a long time, his face was serene and free of pain. Dedede and Bandanna Dee waited on either side of him, more than a little worried for the warrior. 

The king had placed a cold, damp towel on the puff’s head and another two on the scars; so far, it seemed to be working. The two had gradually watched the knight’s temperature drop, the fever disappear from his blush marks, and the swollen tissue shrink. Bandanna took Meta Knight’s temperature, just as he had done each hour for the past five, and they saw it had gone back to near normal. 

“At least Meta’s doin’ fine,” Dedede sighed, leaning against the metal wall. “That infection’ll be gone soon, right, Dee?”

“Sadly, no,” Bandanna replied, carefully climbing onto the bed. “It’ll remain for a few more days, but as long as we keep his temperature down and the wound clean, then it should be alright.”

The king grinned. “Meta's a tough guy. He'll be jus' fine! An' we're here to take care o' him too!”

“But when do you suppose we can storm the base, Great King? Kirby needs us!”

“I know yer anxious ‘bout that. So am I. But we gotta let Meta rest first, or none o' us are makin' it out alive. Everyone here's important, Dee. We all got a role to play in defeatin' Nightmare.”

“I- I understand, Great King! Right now we need to get Meta Knight back in fighting shape!”

Dedede chuckled, careful not to wake the sleeping puff. “Fightin' shape ain't necessary, ‘cause Galaxia's takin' over for ‘im. As long as he can stay conscious durin' the siege, that's good enough.” 

“I'm just worried about Kirby…”

“I know. I don't wanna put any lives on the line, but we ain't got a choice. We strike tomorrow.”

~-~-~-~-~-~

Axe was confused when he didn't see any more enemies through his gun's scope. He glanced out the window and confirmed that Nightmare's forces had left the battlefield. The only sign that they had ever been there was the floating corpses, left to drift through space. Axe turned to Javelin, who was beeping in confusion, and pulled out his radio, tuning into Sailor Dee's bandwidth.

“Sailor! See anyone else from up there?” Axe said, glancing out the window again. “It's quiet down here. Almost too quiet.”

There was silence for some time until it crackled again. “Nothing. They all just left,” Dee replied. “It is kind of weird how it's silent all of a sudden. I'll keep watch and inform Mace and Trident. You two should report this to Sir Meta Knight.”

“Got it. Over and out.” Axe slid the radio back into his helmet and beckoned Javelin to follow him. Javelin, semi-sentient as he was, turned back to his gun and looked through the scope before dutifully floating behind Axe. In a few minutes, they reached Meta Knight's room. 

“Sir! We've got a report!” Axe exclaimed, knocking loudly. “Sir? Are you in there?”

To their surprise, Meta Knight didn't open the door- Dedede did. “Can't y'all be quiet for one sec? Meta's sleepin' right now!” The king hissed, stepping out and closing the door behind him. “What did y’all need?”

_ We apologize, Your Majesty, _ Javelin quietly beeped, the words flashing across his screen.  _ But we wanted to give a report to Sir Meta Knight about what happened with Nightmare’s forces. _

Dedede cocked his head, his eyes narrowed. “Nightmare? What happened with ‘im and his army? An’ don’t y’all worry, whatever ya say to me, I’ll relay to Meta.”

Axe sighed in frustration. “I swear they just disappeared! One moment, we were fending them off with bullets, and the next, they were just… gone! All that’s left now are the dead corpses of the ones we shot down!”

The king sighed, rubbing his head with one hand. “It don’t matter now. Wherever they are, it don’t matter anymore.”

“What?! Y-Your Majesty, why not? They’re demons, monsters! Of course it matters!”

“With the plans I got, they won’t matter much. Round up the others an’ tell ‘em all to meet up in the main room so I can give y’all the rundown. Oh, an’ one more thing…”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“While yer at it, gather as many weapons as ya can. We’re stormin’ that base tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT:
> 
> I really need your feedback on this chapter, because I'm thinking about letting this story arc go and leaving it unfinished. I might pick it back up again in the future, but right now, it's really just a pain, so please tell me whether or not you want this story arc to be continued in the comments. 
> 
> Do keep in mind that if there aren't any comments regarding this, I'll automatically assume that people are fine with me dropping this arc and I'll go back to writing the small vignettes again. Your feedback is really important to me because it lets me know that people do read and enjoy the stories that I work so hard to create :) 
> 
> And if you didn't know before, you can submit your own ideas for this chapter in the ask box on my Tumblr blog! Just go to kirby-writes.tumblr.com and submit ideas that you'd like to see in the ask box! (It's called an ask box, but it's more of a submission/ask area :P )


	21. Darkness Descends Ch. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A recovery is made, reunions occur, and a base is stormed.

“Alright, y’all. Meta’s asleep, so I’m the one who needs to run ya down on everythin’ we’re gonna do as soon as we set foot on that base,” Dedede commanded, standing up and placing his hands on the table. The king swept his gaze around Meta Knight’s crew, all of which were listening attentively, and finally stopped on the giant mass of swords, guns, and other assorted weapons behind them. Dedede smiled, then started walking around as he spoke.

“The first thing we gotta do is take out all them guards! Then we oughta make our way down to where Kirby’s at. Bandee brought the Star Rod, so after we free Kirby, then we’ll go take down Nightmare. If for some reason Nightmare catches onto us, we split! Half takes on Nightmare, an’ the other half frees Kirby!” The king stopped when he caught sight of Bandanna Dee. Glancing back at the crew for a while, Dedede turned to Bandanna. 

“Bandee? What happened?”

“It’s Meta Knight, Great King! He’s awake and wants to see you. I-I’ll continue the briefing if you’d like..?”

“Yeah. Go do that.” Bandanna Dee waddled off and picked up where Dedede had left off. 

~-~-~-~

The king ran towards his knight’s room, and when he opened the door, Meta Knight was standing on the bed, pulling on his armor. The two gazed at each other for a second, the knight nervously glancing between his armor and the penguin in his doorway.

“So. We’re actually storming the base,” the warrior started, a small smile on his face. “That’s wonderful.”

“Not with ya like that! Meta, ya sure yer well enough to be fightin'? Hell, we ain’t even goin’ through the base today,” Dedede scolded. “Get back in bed an’ rest! Otherwise, I might have to say ya can’t come.”

“Nonsense. You need me and Galaxia for this raid.”

“I know we need ya. But if ya ain’t ready for it, ya can’t go. Please, Meta. Take yer armor off and rest like ya should. I, for one, know ya ain’t up to fightin’ yet. Yer wings are droopin’, and that means yer either tired or sick or both. Ya never let ‘em drop like that otherwise.”

Meta Knight was taken aback, and since he hadn’t yet put on his mask, the king could see the troubled look on his face. “...fine. It's unsettling how you know me so well.”

“We've stuck together for years. It's only natural that I've learned some o' yer tells by now.” Dedede picked the knight up and took off the little bits of armor the puff was wearing, gently placing them on the floor beside him. The king tucked Meta Knight into bed, drawing the blankets over him, and sat on the bed as he pet the warrior's back.

“That feels good, Your Majesty… keep going…”

Dedede chuckled. “Now I know yer really tired. Ya never ask me to keep pettin', not even if we're alone!”

The puff, for once, said nothing about his dignity and their individual roles. “Shut up and keep petting me, would you…”

“Oh, alright, Meta. Long as ya get some rest, hear?” Meta Knight hummed in response, too tired and relaxed to say much, and splayed his wings out on the bed. Within seconds, he was asleep again, even snoring slightly as his back rose and fell with his breathing.  The king took his hand off his knight’s back and stayed there, gazing at him lovingly. 

Dedede knew he probably should've gone back to explaining things with the crew, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the warrior's side. He climbed into bed, pulled the blankets over himself, and hugged Meta Knight as he fell asleep.

~-~-~-~

The Halberd was still there, looming in front of his window. 

Kirby glanced out again and again to make sure that it was still there, and if he climbed up and stood at the very edge of the window, the child could see Bandanna Dee and Meta Knight's crew through the visor of the Halberd's mask- though Meta Knight himself was nowhere to be seen. 

Kirby fervently prayed to Nova that the knight was okay after being attacked so harshly. At this point, he'd almost taken to sleeping in the windowsill just so he could see the great battleship and catch glimpses of his friends; hopefully he'd see the knight and king as well, since Kirby hadn't seen any sign of them yet. He kept looking at the massive ship, and as he gazed out the window, the puff felt that something big was coming, and that something was going to end with his rescue. 

Surely the Halberd wouldn't just be sitting there without a plan, even if its captain was bedridden and recovering. 

Suddenly, Kirby saw the battleship turn towards his window, the cannon level with the wall of his cell. He cringed, remembering the firepower it packed from his first encounter with the Halberd, and was visibly confused when it didn't fire. The puff stood, noticing that the visor was facing him, and started waving his paws at them, even though he knew they probably couldn't see him due to the base being invisible. 

Bandanna Dee stood at the windshield, and the Dee's eyes met his own. Kirby grinned when Bandanna lit up, turning back and beckoning to Meta Knight's crew. Soon enough, the others were crowded around the front of it, all of them waving back at him. Even though the child was glad that they had seen him, he still hadn't caught sight of Dedede and Meta Knight- the two he'd been looking for in the first place. 

Nova apparently granted wishes to saviors of the galaxy that were locked up in cells, because the king soon showed up, a half-asleep puffball knight in his arms. Kirby immediately grinned and pressed his face to the glass, waving wildly. Dedede looked around the control room for a while until Bandanna pointed excitedly at him. The king turned in said direction and his eyes widened before he saluted with a grin on his face. 

In the process of doing so, the penguin nearly dropped Meta Knight, who jolted and glared at his liege. Dedede laughed and held the knight up, allowing him to see Kirby. The pink puff gasped at all the bandages on the elder warrior, but that didn’t stop him from smiling and mouthing, “Hi, Meta” at him. Meta Knight stared at him, his silver eyes boring through the windshield and the wall, and since his mask wasn’t on, Kirby could see the hidden half-smile the blue puff had. 

After a while, the knight nodded and said something that the child had no means of hearing, but somehow the pink puff knew it was meant as a sort of greeting to him. Kirby felt his eyes tearing up, and he swallowed to keep from crying in front of his friends as they all gazed at him with smiles on their faces. They were all here, alive and well, and that was all he'd ever asked for.

* * *

_ The next day: _

“Stay still, Meta Knight! I can't wrap the wound if you keep fidgeting,” Bandanna scolded, a roll of bandages in his paws. “Come on, the faster we do this, the sooner we can get in that base to save Kirby!”

Meta Knight huffed, his armor strewn on the bed. “Must it be wrapped? I find it much of an inconvenience if I am to be fighting.”

“Meta, we've been over this like ten times already,” Dedede sighed, poking the puff in his side. “Yer still too sick to be fightin'. Galaxia is takin' over for ya, unless ya can prove right here, right now that ya can beat me with yer sword.”

The knight opened his mouth to protest, his fangs gleaming, then closed it. “Fine. Hurry up with it, and though I cannot promise, I will do my best not to fidget.”

Bandanna Dee lit up, and if he had a mouth, he'd be grinning widely. “Thanks, Meta Knight! Just hold still and I'll be done in a sec!” The Dee's paws moved in a swift, practiced manner, and before long, the gauze was wrapped tightly around the knight's eye. In Dedede's opinion, the puff looked much better without all the dried blood on him; he still looked every bit the warrior he was, even with all the bandages tied around his form. The king picked his knight’s mask up from where it lay next to him and handed it over.

“C'mere, Meta,” Dedede said, grinning. “Get yer armor on quick, don't forget yer sword, an' maybe I'll let ya ride on my shoulder.”

Meta Knight cracked a smile- a small one, nonetheless- but a genuine smile that hadn’t come from lying about his condition. “I shalt don my armor and ride upon my noble steed into battle,” he announced airily, standing up and twirling his paw. The king boomed with laughter, and Bandanna chuckled a little. The knight put his mask on, even though it was still obvious he was smiling from the twinkle in his eyes, and began slipping into his armor in a routine he'd done for years. 

Within minutes, he was once again the strong, noble knight of Dreamland, and Dedede crouched to let the puff on his shoulder. The warrior gazed at him with a thoughtful look, and finally he sighed. “Dedede, I request permission to perform a certain task,” Meta Knight slowly said, feeling his way around the words. “In case I do not make it back from this mission alive. I have been wanting to do so for a very long time now, and I fear that my time is running out.”

“Whatever it is, Meta, I grant ya permission, but ya should know better! I'm gonna personally make sure ya get back alive,” the king exclaimed. “What is it ya wanted to do again?”

“Please do forgive me if I make you uncomfortable, your Majesty… Bandanna, you can go and tell the crew to get ready.”

“Will do, Meta Knight!” The Dee left, and Dedede was left with the puffball knight on his shoulder. The warrior slid his mask to the top of his head and turned towards his liege, one paw gripping his fluffy hat.

After a long moment of silence, the penguin huffed and crossed his arms. “Meta, if anythin', this waitin' is prolly more uncomfortable than what yer goin' to do. Jus' do it ‘fore I die o' suspense.”

“No regrets then, your Majesty…” The knight slipped down a little, and in one swift movement, captured the king's lips with his own.

~-~-~-~

Bandanna Dee was in the middle of packing supplies for the raid when Dedede walked in, a lovestruck smile on his face and Meta Knight hanging off his shoulder. He glanced from the knight- who was very clearly smirking under his mask- to the king, who was still grinning widely. “What happened to you, Great King?” Bandanna asked quizzically, his paws still holding the flask of water.

“Nothin' much, Bandee… ya just keep goin',” Dedede said, waving him away before taking the warrior off his shoulder and holding the puff in front of himself. “Yer a devious lil' knightmare, ya know that?”

“Great King… what did Meta Knight do?”

“Jus' keep packing, Dee. It's, ah… kingly business.”

“Ok… but I'm done with the packing, Great King! Once Meta Knight's crew arms themselves with their weapons, we're all ready to get in!”

Meta Knight lit up and jumped out of Dedede's arms, drawing Galaxia with a smile. “I will gladly slay Nightmare's forces to get Kirby back.” He started to collapse again, his eyes nearly closing, when Dedede caught him and held him tight against his plumage.

“Meta, we've been over this again an' again. When are ya gonna get it through yer head? Yer. Not. Fightin'. Not with yer sword, not with yer magic, not with anythin'. I might be lettin' ya come, but yer job is to ride me and command Galaxia's spirit thingy.”

The knight's face fell, though it wasn't blatantly obvious through his mask. “I understand, Your Majesty… I just want some action. It's been much too boring ever since I was injured.”

“That's 'cause ya need to rest if ya wanna get better! An' don't worry, ya can be the strategist! Use that mind of yers for us?” The king smiled and tapped the top of the puff's head.

Meta Knight thought for a while. “Galaxia can lend me her energy! Please, Your Majesty, let me fight just a little..?”

“I…” Dedede gazed at the puff and sighed. “Meta, ya know I really don't want ya gettin' hurt again… but if ya let me help ya when ya need it and ya keep an eye on yer energy reserves, I guess I can…”

The knight's eyes shone with excitement, and it was clear he was smiling as he leapt up and fluttered around. “Thank you, Your Majesty! I'll do anything you ask during the raid. I'll let you carry me, I'll help wherever I can, everything!”

Dedede chuckled at seeing the puff so happy. “Ya really are itchin' for a fight, ain't ya? Well as long as yer alright, ya can do whatever, an' the only thing ya need to do is tell me when ya ain't feelin' up to fightin'. Got that, Meta?”

“Of course. Is that the only thing you require..?”

“An' ya have to let me cuddle ya and hold ya in my arms while ya drink water and rest! Oh yeah, Dee! Did ya pack any canned soup?”

“Soup, Great King? For what?”

“Meta! If he feels sick, we can feed ‘im soup!”

“And we're going to have time to make soup when exactly? In case you haven't noticed, Great King, this is  _ Nightmare's _ base we're talking about. There's going to be demons everywhere!”

“Well you an' the crew are gonna hold ‘em off! I'm not lettin' Meta die… not now, not ever! He's too precious to me.”

Meta Knight glanced at the king, then at the Dee as he pushed his mask up. “Your Majesty, while I find it endearing that you care for me as such, I believe it's best to leave Bandanna Dee alone. Besides, I could use some soup right about now…”

Dedede perked up, holding the puff in front of his face. “Is chicken noodle soup alright with ya? Let's go to the kitchen, Mety, an' I'll whip somethin' up for ya!” The king left the control room with the knight in his arms, and Bandanna sighed. 

“So are we actually storming here, or what…”

~-~-~-~

The crew had already assembled in the control room, Meta Knight- looking contentedly full and quite happy- had reluctantly been released from Dedede's arms, and Bandanna handed the last pack of supplies to the king. They had already agreed earlier that the knight shouldn't carry anything on account of his injuries, and besides, Dedede could easily take care of the puff if needed. 

“I can't wait to get in there and bash some demons,” Axe growled, swinging his signature weapon around. “Then I'll take the ray gun and shoot it in their face!” The others laughed and Sailor Dee pulled out his own ray gun, but a clap from Meta Knight silenced them. 

“Crew, remember the reason we are venturing inside in the first place,” he said solemnly. “Kirby needs us, and if we do not, who will? Our very planet depends on it.” Everyone yelled in agreement and Dedede positioned his hand above the rocket button. 

“Meta, if I may… can I shoot the rocket?” The king asked with a grin on his face. “I'm really lookin' forward to watchin' somethin' go boom!” The warrior nodded, and Dedede slammed his hand on the button. The cannon charged up and fired, the wall turning into shambles at contact. Everyone gathered close to Meta Knight, and with a swish of his cape, they warped inside. The dust cleared, and the eight of them appeared in its midst.

* * *

Kirby awoke to a startling explosion and he jolted out of bed. There was a massive cloud of dust; he coughed, trying to wave it away, and when it finally settled, his friends stood there. “Meta! Dedede! Bandee, everyone!” Kirby exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes as he rushed forward to meet them. Dedede gathered the child in a hug and swung him around.

“Kirby! Nightmare hasn't done anythin' to ya, has he?” The king asked, looking over the puff.

“I think he has,” Meta Knight said flatly, poking a burn on Kirby's foot. “It's nothing a bit of first aid won't fix though.”

Kirby started crying, his paws desperately rubbing at his eyes to get rid of the tears. “I-I missed you all! It’s been so long-” The pink puff jumped out of Dedede’s arms and hugged the knight tightly. The warrior was surprised, then gently hugged him back. 

“I’m glad to see you’re alright, Kirby. It must’ve been… difficult without seeing us.”

The child reached for the elder puff’s mask, then hesitated. “Can… can I see? And how come only one of your eyes show up?”

Meta Knight sighed, turning away. “You may see… but please do not be alarmed when you do.” Kirby smiled sweetly and slowly pulled off the knight’s mask. The pink puff couldn’t help a gasp at the mere sight of the bandages, and he bit his lip to keep from saying anything else. 

“I’m sorry, Meta… I didn’t know it was this bad…” Kirby handed the mask back, and right as Meta Knight put it back on, a portal spawned behind Kirby, dragging him into it. The child screamed, grabbing the knight’s paw and holding on for his life. 

“Metaaaaa!!! Help!” The warrior skidded on the stone floor, and Dedede grabbed his other paw, forming a chain. Bandanna Dee and the crew were struggling to keep the king- and by extension, the knight and child- from going into the portal, but the force was too much. 

Kirby was slowly enveloped by the darkness, and once the pink puff had disappeared into the portal, it closed, leaving Meta Knight, Dedede, and everyone else in the cell. The knight looked at where the portal had once been before turning to gaze at everyone else, his eyes blazing red.

“Let’s get Kirby back.” And with a furious war cry, they burst through the bars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure everyone already knows, but I'll say it again just in case. I'll be keeping the Darkness Descends arc, but I'll spread the chapters out so it isn't as taxing for me to write. Thus, the next chapter posted here won't be an arc chapter, but another drabble. Thanks for understanding, and the arc will continue with the next chapter after one or two drabbles!
> 
> The ending seems a bit rushed, but I still wanted it to get up today, so... yes.


	22. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight and Dedede go to White Wafers to retrieve the boat part stuck there. Meta really didn't want to go, but whenever Dedede's involved... well, he just can't say no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah i just love self-indulgent writing

“Must we go to White Wafers together..?” Meta Knight questioned, his wings pressed tightly against his back. “Dedede, you know I can’t fare against the cold.”

“Aw, c’mon, Mety! Kirby ain’t well right now ‘cause there was some kind of virus at Onion Ocean, remember? An’ Bandee’s gotta take care o’ ‘im,” Dedede said, pouting. “An’ ya know I don’t like bein’ alone… please, Mety? Come wi’ me to get the boat part!”

The knight was unmoved, staring at the king’s face. “And why can’t I stay with Kirby instead?”

“Kirby’s a puffball, just like ya! If Kirby can catch the virus, ya can too! An’ ya know I don’t want ya to get sick, Mety!”

The warrior huffed, then transformed his wings into his cape with a flourish. “If we must go, let’s go quickly…”

Dedede smiled, picked him up, and ran to Kirby’s room. “Course we can leave, but we gotta say goodbye to Kirby first! He’ll be sad otherwise, and ya don’t want yer son to be sad, do ya?”

“He isn’t my son…”

“ _ Sure _ , Meta. We all know that.” The king peeked into the child’s room, where Bandanna Dee was preparing to give the puff his medicine. 

“You leaving now, Dedede..?” Kirby asked, the wide grin contrasting the rasp in his voice. “Have fun and make sure to cuddle with each other~”

“We will not cuddle,” Meta Knight said firmly, glaring daggers at the snickering penguin, “and do get better soon, Kirby. Nutty Noon is a very nice place and I hope you will be able to experience it.”

“Bandee, ya sure ya can handle Kirby while he’s sick like this?” Dedede said, taking a few steps in. He realized that the knight was about to leave and he quickly grabbed the puff before he could, much to said puff's dismay. “Actually, I’m sure you’ll be jus’ fine. See ya, Bandee! Bye, Kirby!” The knight barely had time to bid his farewells before the king barrelled out of the Lor and into the snowy landscapes.

* * *

_ A few minutes later: _

“D-d-dedede, it’s f-freezing…” Meta Knight muttered, his feet trudging through the snow as the blizzard whirled around them. “C-can we please s-stop for a while, I c-can’t f-feel my feet…”

“But Mety, we’re almost there,” Dedede said, turning back to look at the puff and hesitating when he saw him shivering. “Alright… we’ll find some shelter and ya can rest. C’mere and I’ll keep ya warm until we can find somewhere to wait out this storm.” The knight walked over to him and the king gathered him in his robes, gasping slightly at the cold touch of his metal armor. 

“Nova, ya really are cold, Meta… what happened to Galaxia’s fire powers?”

“I-I’m already d-drawing off her p-powers… i-it’s j-just s-so  _ c-c-cold _ …” Dedede hugged Meta Knight close to him as he surveyed the landscape. The blizzard and its snow made it tough to see, but after a few minutes, the king found a small cave where they could wait out the storm. 

He walked over, and with a swing of his hammer, the penguin broke through the covering of ice that had blocked the cave. Dedede sat down near the back and was more than happy to let the shivering warrior stay in his robes, but he soon began to feel the cold as well- partly from the storm and partly from the knight’s armor. “Meta?” Dedede asked, trying his best to keep his voice from shaking. “Ya g-got anythin’ in that cape of yers to make a fire or somethin’?” 

“I’ve g-got a lighter and a l-little b-bit of f-fuel,” Meta Knight replied, his shivers becoming nearly uncontrollable, “but I d-don’t know h-how long it’ll last…”

“Meta, jus’ listen to yerself for a m-minute. Yer freezin’, come on… we need a fire.” The warrior worldlessly reached into his cape and pulled out a lighter, but his numb paws refused to grasp it and it clattered onto the rocky ground.

“D-dedede, I… I c-can’t f-feel m-my p-paws..! I-it’s t-too c-cold, c-can’t m-move th-them either…”

“Don’t worry, Meta, I got it. J-jus’ find the fuel an’ I’ll light it. Fer now, jus’... jus’ cuddle wi’ me or somethin’... Really can’t see how else we’re gonna make it alive.”

“O-only b-because I’m f-f-freezing a-and y-you’re w-warm…”

“Make all the excuses ya want, M-Mety. Where’s that fire fuel?” Meta Knight dumped a few papers, wooden puzzle pieces, and a large log out in front of them before wrapping himself in his cape and continuing to shiver. In seconds, the king had a fire lit. The knight stayed in the warmth and comfort of Dedede's robes, but occasionally came out to warm his paws near the fire. 

“Meta, looks like the storm's gonna last all night,” Dedede said, stroking the puff's head and feeling warmth flow through his body. “I think we should stay here fer the night and eat somethin'. You'll feel better if ya eat.”

“I-I'm n-not that c-cold anymore, Your Majesty… b-but it w-would be nice t-to have s-something to eat,” Meta Knight stuttered, his voice still shaky from his shivers.

“Yer still shiverin', o' course yer cold! Good thing I brought canned soup, ‘cause I just knew my lil' Mety Knighty would be cold.”

“I-I’m n-not l-little…” 

“Say what ya want, Meta. I say yer a lil’ borb who refuses to say he’s cold.” Dedede rummaged around in the pack he’d brought, and pulled out two cans of noodle soup. He heated them over the fire, the warrior silently watching, and once it was done, the king handed one of them to the puff. 

Meta Knight took it and with a shaky paw, unsheathed Galaxia and gripped the blade to keep from puncturing the wrong place in the can. Dedede winced as the sharp edge cut through the puff’s skin, but tried his best to hide it as the knight cut the top off and flicked it away. 

The warrior sheathed his blade, slid his mask to the top of his head, and began drinking out of the can, sighing contentedly and leaning against Dedede’s chest. 

“Meta. Yer… yer bleedin’. Yer paw, why’d ya do that,” the king fretted, grabbing the knight’s paw and scouring his pack for the first aid kit. “Meta… what did I tell ya ‘bout usin’ yer sword like that…”

“I-it’s not b-bleeding that much, s-sire,” Meta Knight protested. Then he saw the wound, dripping blood onto the rock, and he reluctantly allowed Dedede to take his glove off. “Ok… s-so maybe it is b-bad, but i-it’s not like I c-can feel it.”

“I don’t care heads or tails if ya can feel it. Ya hurt yerself, and that ain’t good.” The king set his unopened can of soup down next to the fire to keep it warm, then started treating the knight’s paw. “Yer lucky it didn’t go any deeper. Might’ve required stitches, Meta.” 

Dedede finished bandaging the wound and slid the glove back on, even though it was ripped from before. With that, the penguin cut open his own can and started eating. Meta Knight just watched as Dedede downed his soup and tossed the can aside, and the king suddenly hugged him to keep him warm.

“Your Majesty-”

“It’s Dedede, Meta. Always has been fer ya an’ the pipsqueak. Bandee could call me that too, but he sticks to Great King.”

“Ok, Dedede. Why do you feel the sudden urge to hug me?”

“I wanna keep ya warm.” The knight started to protest, but the king gazed at him pointedly and continued. “Ya hate the cold, I wanna protect ya. Kinda like repayin’ the favor, ya know? Fer ev’rythin’ you do fer me on a daily basis. Now take all yer armor off, it’s pokin’ me bad.”

Meta Knight chuckled and began to slip out of his armor, leaving his cape on. “I suppose a repayment was in order… thank you, your Majes- er, Dedede.”

Dedede hugged him tighter, a wide grin on his face. “That's more like it. C'mere, you squishy lil' borb.”

The knight protested good-naturedly, knowing it wasn’t meant as an insult. “I'm not little!”

“Yer smaller than me.”

“Most people on Dreamland are! That's not a valid excuse to call me little!”

The king laughed, his laughter echoing around the walls of the cave. “Shut up an’ rest so we can fight that boss tomorrow. Kirby prolly misses us by now.”

“Kirby misses everyone, regardless of who or where they are…”

“Yeah, yeah. I love ya, Mety~”

“Mhmm, love you too, Dedede…” Meta Knight wrapped himself up in his cape and Dedede pressed a kiss to the top of his head, making the puff squeal in embarrassment. The penguin chuckled, then fell asleep with the knight in his arms, the light of the dying fire behind them. 


	23. Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Meta Knight's birthday, and his friends try to make him a cake. Keyword: try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight's birthday is today! Happy birthday to our favorite borb!
> 
> (I also did not proofread this, so there may be some minor grammatical errors :P )

“Today’s Meta’s birthday, ya’ll! We gotta do somethin’ for ‘im,” Dedede proclaimed, Bandanna Dee and Kirby in the kitchen with him. It was still very early in the morning, and both Dee and puff were sleepy. 

“Wha..? Great King, why are we up this early…” Bandanna asked, one paw rubbing his half-asleep eyes. 

“Didn’t ya hear me? It’s Meta’s birthday today! We hafta make a cake for ‘im!”

Kirby, despite how sleepy he was before, perked up immediately. “Yeah! Meta’s our friend,” Kirby chirped, happy to do anything for his friends. “And Meta deserves a happy birthday!”

“No one knows what kind of cake he likes though,” the Dee, nervous. “And I don’t want to upset him by making the wrong kind…”

“Pfft, that’s easy. Meta loves chocolate cake! Ya ever seen him in a room full o’ chocolate? He goes crazy!”

Kirby was ecstatic, jumping for joy. “Chocolate cake is easy! Let's start making that cake then!”

“Any of ya’ll know how to bake?” All of them were silent, realizing that while the intentions were there, not one of them had the skills to make it a reality. 

“How about this!” Bandanna exclaimed, lighting up with an idea. “How about we try to make the cake ourselves, and if worse comes to worse, we’ll use Kirby’s Cook ability and make a cake so good that Sir Meta Knight will want more!”

“That’s a perfect idea! Dee, get the ingredients, an’ Kirby an’ I’ll prep the kitchen!” Dedede picked Kirby up and started running around the kitchen, preheating the oven, and gathering various materials. The Dee quickly darted to the pantry, soon coming back with milk, flour, sugar, chocolate, and other ingredients to make the cake. 

“Alright, ya’ll. Let’s get crackin’.”

* * *

Meta Knight yawned, stretching happily as he listened to the birdsong outside his window. He had woken up awfully late, but Dedede  _ had _ let him take the day off today so as such, he was obligated to sleep in. The puff smiled softly and fell right back into his bed, snuggling into the blankets. Suddenly, there was an explosion from the direction of the kitchen, and lots of loud yelling. The knight blinked, and while he really didn’t want to, he hurriedly put his armor on and dashed out the door, unfurling his wings and soaring through the hallways. 

In a matter of seconds, he reached the kitchen; not waiting for anyone to open the door, he drew Galaxia and sliced the door open, where he was greeted with a very unusual sight. Bandanna Dee was stuck cowering on top of the fridge, his face hidden in his bandanna, Kirby was sitting on the counter happily scooping frosting into his mouth, and Dedede was lifting a cake out of a half-destroyed oven. 

All three were covered in soot, and smoke was rising from the blackened parts of the oven. 

“An’ just when I thought this oven’d last fer more than a year,” Dedede grumbled, setting the cake down next to Kirby. “Don’t ya eat that, m’kay, Kirby? That’s fer Meta!” The child, his mouth full of frosting, pointed to the door, where Meta Knight was standing with a very bewildered expression. The king whirled around, saw the knight there, and immediately leapt to cover the large chocolate cake. 

“Mety Knighty!” Dedede exclaimed, a nervous smile on his face. “Did I wake ya? Sorry! The explosion was uh… kinda loud!”

The knight glanced at each individual, not knowing what was going on. “What in the name of Nova are you three doing?”

“Uh…” Kirby looked at Dedede for a long while. “Cake?”

“See, we tried to make ya a cake,” the king admitted, stepping back. “I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to put cold glass in a preheated oven…”

“It’s ok, though, because I made another one!” The child quickly inhaled a pan, gaining the Cook ability, and whipped up another cake before they all had the time to blink. “Here you go, Meta!”

Meta Knight was taken aback, but he soon smiled and took the offered cake. “Thank you all. I do appreciate you putting in so much effort just for me. And do get Bandanna off the fridge before he’s stuck up there forever.” Dedede ran over to the fridge and tried to help the Dee off his high perch as the knight put the new cake on the table. 

Kirby watched as the warrior lifted his mask, produced a fork from the folds of his cape, and stuck it into the cake that the king had taken out of the oven. He hummed in delight, then snuck a bite of the one the child had made. Meta Knight drew Galaxia with a soft hum and cut the new cake into slices. Kirby squealed as he was given a slice, and the knight balanced two plates on his hands.

“Meta,” Dedede huffed as soon as he came near, “Bandanna refuses to get off the fridge, an’- yer givin’ us some o’ yer cake? Aww, thanks, Meta!”

The warrior flew to the top of the fridge and slipped the plate in front of the Dee, and within seconds, Bandanna was safely sitting on the counter next to Kirby, joyfully eating their cake.

“A’right, now we gotta say it all together! Ready, Kirby, Bandee?” Kirby and Bandanna nodded, and they counted to three as Meta Knight watched them, plate of cake in hand.

“One! Two! Three!!”

“Happy birthday, Meta Knight!”


	24. Darkness Descends Ch. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare's base holds more surprises than they thought, and the deeper they go, the more they unearth...

“Nightmare escaped with Kirby! We must find him, and quickly!” Meta Knight yelled, stabbing a guard in the chest and vaulting over another. Around him, everyone was clearing the guards that rushed to attack them- even Sailor Dee was shooting a few down. Javelin was firing his lasers into the crowd, hitting whoever he could, and hurling spears everywhere he could. Axe, Mace, and Trident were helping each other, standing back-to-back in a triangle formation.

“Where all these guards even comin’ from?!” Dedede shouted, smashing guards into the walls. “There ain’t no end to ‘em!”

Bandanna yelped as a guard thrust his sword towards him, but the Dee had no hesitation in countering with his spear. “A-all we need is to get Kirby! So if we can push forward instead of just defend, we can get there faster!”

“Bandanna is correct!” The knight spread his wings, injured as they were, and drilled through the remaining guards, making an opening. The party rushed out of the dungeon before the guards could catch up, locked the door behind them, and turned into an empty hallway to catch their breath. As short-lived as their action had been, it was still sudden and everyone needed time to recover and steel themselves for whatever lay next for them in the fortress.

“Nice moves, Meta!” Dedede praised, making sure to keep his voice low. “Yer still feelin’ okay, right?”

“Never been better, Your Majesty,” Meta Knight replied, digging through the king’s sack of supplies and pulling out a flask of water to drink. “It’s good to be able to fight again.” The crew and Bandanna watched them chat with mildly amused expressions as they relaxed against the wall. Axe and Sailor Dee were still vigilant, often looking around and checking for danger.

Suddenly, footsteps resounded through the walls, and the group fell silent, retreating to the deepest shadows to see who it was. Nightmare levitated past, legions of guards following him. Suddenly, he stopped and glared around. As he turned, they could all see Kirby clutched tightly in Nightmare’s hand and his eyes were wide with panic and fear. Dedede held Meta Knight tighter as he attempted to get to Kirby, flaring his wings and trying to dart forward. 

“What in the name of Nova are ya doin’, Meta! Stop it, he’ll see us!” The king hissed, grasping the puff with one arm. “No, Meta- stop it! Meta, I said stop!” Dedede yanked the puff’s mask off and slapped him across the face. The crew and Bandanna Dee winced, Dedede breathing heavily as the warrior immediately stopped resisting. Nightmare kept going, and the guards followed him until they left. The knight took his mask back, putting it back on his face, and leapt out of the king's grip with no trouble.

“Let's go,” Meta Knight said coldly, pointedly avoiding Dedede's gaze. “We're running out of time.”

The king ran up to him before he could leave the dark hallway and grabbed his pauldron, the crew and Bandanna Dee still cowering in fear. “Meta, I-I'm sorry, it's just that ya wouldn't stop and I didn't want ya to get caught, ‘cause then Nightmare’d do some terrible things to ya, and… Ya understand, right?” Dedede pleaded, stooping down low enough to look the puff in the eye. “ Meta? Please say somethin', Mety Knighty, I’m sorry… Meta, please…”

The knight brushed the penguin’s hand away and continued walking. “We will continue this conversation later. Following Nightmare is our top priority now.” The king stood and stayed there as the crew and Bandanna got up and slowly followed the warrior. 

“Come on, Great King! Everything will be fine,” the Dee said, mustering as optimistic of a tone as he could. “I know you can work things out with Sir Meta Knight! You’re amazing, Great King!” Dedede nodded wordlessly and let Bandanna take his hand before going off to follow the rest of their party.

* * *

Kirby struggled uselessly in Nightmare’s hand. One finger was blocking his mouth, so he couldn’t inhale if he wanted to, and the rest of his body was trapped in the hand. The child wanted so badly to do something, _anything_ , but Nightmare’s grip was strong and wouldn’t let him move. Something crashed behind them, and the eldritch immediately whirled around to see what it was.

When Nightmare turned, however, Kirby widened his eyes and he would've started laughing if he was able to. Guards were flying every which way, and in the midst of all the chaos, the puff saw his friends easily flinging the legions aside. Dedede batted the last one aside and they stood defiantly before him, Meta Knight in the front pointing Galaxia at Nightmare.

“Alright, Nightmare! Give us Kirby back!” Dedede shouted, brandishing his hammer and twirling it around. “Ya saw what we jus’ did to yer guards. We can do the same to ya!”

Nightmare surveyed the group in front of him before speaking. “You think your little band can stop me? Even with one of my own leading your charge, it is futile to think you can continue,” he smirked. “Really has been long time no see, Meta Knight.”

“Shut up,” the knight growled, letting Galaxia’s fire flare. “You no longer control me, and the present proves my past does not define my future! Let go of Kirby.”

“Yeah, let go of- wait… one of…” Bandanna Dee said confusedly.

“His own?” Dedede continued, surprise written on his face.. “Meta, you… you’re a demon?”

Meta Knight turned around and glanced at them in shock and fear, his anger against Nightmare gone. “I… um…” He desperately looked at his crew for help, but they seemed as scared as the other two. “I- I don’t… No, I’m not…” He looked down defeatedly, and Nightmare cackled.

“How can you operate as such a dysfunctional band? And hope to defeat me, the greatest overlord in the cosmos? You’ll have to try better than that!” And with that statement, Nightmare teleported away.

~-~-~-~-~

Meta Knight was still unresponsive, his masked face buried in his paws. They’d carried him and Galaxia into another empty alleyway, hoping to get some sort of an explanation. “Sir Meta Knight? Please, we need you to explain, and then we can get right back on the trail of Kirby,” Bandanna pleaded, shaking him slightly.

At first, the knight was murmuring almost silently, much too quiet for them to hear, but it slowly grew in volume until they could. “No… you weren’t supposed to know… can’t deny it… you weren’t supposed to know…” The warrior started shaking, and it was a few minutes until his mask came off and they realized he was crying.

Sailor Dee set his pack down, waddled over, and wrapped his paws around the puff as far as he could in a hug. “I still respect you, Sir Meta Knight,” Sailor said, a twinkling smile in his eyes. “I don’t care if you’re a demon! You’re still an amazing leader!” The rest of the crew joined in and Bandanna piled on top of him, all of them smiling. Meta Knight finally looked up, tears still running down his face, and spread his wings, engulfing them all. Then Dedede picked them up, and they stayed like that for a while. 

“Thank you all,” the knight whispered, his voice muffled in the king’s robe. “I- I was so scared that if you found out, y-you’d banish me… just like most planets did when they found out I was half-demon…”

“No way, sir! You’re way better than Nightmare,” Axe declared. “And I don’t care if he hears that; in fact, he _deserves_ to hear that you’re so much better than him, because it’s true!” 

Dedede set them all on the ground, and the warrior put his mask back on and raised Galaxia again, his battle spirit renewed. “That fiend still has Kirby! Let us make haste and find him!” The rest of them raised their weapons as well and rushed out to find Nightmare.

* * *

“I still remember this place like the back of my paw,” Meta Knight muttered, “and somehow we still got lost. Curse my memory…”

“But, sir, you did mention that this place held bad memories about your childhood,” Sailor Dee piped up from his left. “It’s fine if you don’t remember anything; really I’d prefer to forget all about this place! It’s creepy!” Bandanna nodded fiercely in agreement, and the knight gazed warmly at the two, petting them both as he smiled. 

The Dees giggled, a soft purr coming from them, and for a while, they nearly forgot where they were. There was a distant sound, and the puff was instantly alert, stopping his petting and holding up his free hand to signal everyone to stop. The warrior drew Galaxia, her spirit floating out as well, and they proceeded with caution, stopping every few steps to check the surroundings. 

Kirby’s shrill scream suddenly echoed through the walls; Meta Knight spread his wings, and with a powerful flap, took off down the corridor, the others racing to follow him. The knight skidded around the corner and came face-to-face with Nightmare, holding Kirby in a cage.

“Meta!” Kirby cried, reaching one paw out to them even though he couldn’t reach them from his high perch. “Dedede! Bandee, everyone, help!”

Nightmare turned and saw them standing before him again. “You lot never learn. There is absolutely nothing you can do for Kirby! Perhaps  _ now _ you will surrender!” The eldritch shot dark stars at the group from one finger, an evil grin plastered on his face.

“Everyone, huddle close to me!” The warrior commanded, holding up Galaxia in a guarding position. Her spirit braced as well, holding up two silver swords to block the attack. A dome of light formed around them and the stars bounced off harmlessly, dissipating with the light magic. 

Nightmare growled, stopping his barrage. “Again, you cannot save Kirby! You simply do not have the power to defeat me! But since that wretched sword is blocking my magic… here’s something to freeze you in your tracks! Gahahaha!” He dropped a bomb into the corridor and flew away, all within Kirby’s desperate cries.

Meta Knight immediately realized what it was, and he let his dome guard down, whirling around to face the others as Galaxia’s spirit vanished. “Get out of here! I know what this thing does, get back!”

“Sir Meta Knight, what is it though!” Bandanna Dee exclaimed, worry in his eyes. “We don’t want you to get hurt!”

A tinge of red appeared in the knight’s visible eye. “You don’t need to know what it is, just get away from it and let me handle it!”

“Meta, no! I can’t have ya gettin’ hurt after I told ya all those times in yer ship that yer takin’ care of yerself!” Dedede thundered. “Yer takin’ shelter with us whether ya like it or not!”

“That thing will spread until it hits someone, and I’d rather it hit me then all of you!” The warrior sighed, the red disappearing. “You all are too precious to me. I can’t let you get hurt.”

The king reached out towards him, panic replacing his anger. “Meta, no-” Meta Knight turned away and plunged Galaxia into the floor, making fire spew out towards them. Everyone screamed, jumping back, and the knight faced the bomb again, his sword held in front of him. Dedede herded everyone into a smaller hallway before dashing back out to grab the warrior before the bomb exploded. 

“Meta! Don’t kill yerself over this- Meta, no!” Dedede shouted, running towards him. The bomb started to glow and the puff looked back at the king apologetically, as if he already knew what was going to happen. The penguin started running faster, hoping to reach him in time, but the bomb exploded, the force of its explosion sending him flying backwards. 

“No!  _ Meta!!! _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight and Dedede will settle this feud in the coming chapters, I swear! They love each other too much to be angry at each other for long ;)


	25. Just a Little Puppy Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby visits Patch Land for the first time in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A request from an anon on my Tumblr blog for a Kirfluff drabble! I thought it was pretty good, so I decided to publish it here! I know Extra Epic Yarn was released, but since it's just a remake of Epic Yarn, I grouped them together. So here, Extra Epic Yarn isn't a part of this drabble.

Kirby lazed on his bed, pondering what he should do during such a lazy day. Meta Knight was doing something with the Halberd, Dedede had a royal meeting with other rulers from across the galaxy, and the Star Allies had all insisted they were busy with something; for once, Gooey was actually doing something besides eating and licking things. Then an idea struck him, and the child looked around mischievously before pulling a sock out from under his bed. 

He looked into it, then realized it was just a normal sock from when he and Adeleine had a sleepover. The puff jumped off his bed and rummaged around under it, sorting through the stuff he liked to keep there. Most of them were pictures of his friends and postcards that they had sent on trips from different places. He had six cards from Meta Knight alone, back when he had gone to summon Nova and fight Galacta Knight- one from each planet he had gone to. Yes, Kirby had visited each of those himself (twice, even!) but he still cherished the thought that the knight had gone to such troubles to remind the child that he was fine. 

Kirby dug through the other piles of postcards and gifts that he kept before finding the one he was looking for- a magical glowing sock. The child pulled it out, putting everything else back, and glanced out the windows to make sure no one else could see him. Just to be safe, he drew the curtains before sitting back down on his bed. Best that no one else could access this sock, lest that they use it for evil purposes. Kirby looked out one last time to make sure no one had come for him. Seeing that the land outside was empty, the child blushed slightly, then shrugged and jumped in. No one would miss him anyway.

* * *

Prince Fluff had checked Patchland’s economy twice, made his bed four times, gone out for his public appearance, practiced his yarn whip, and done everything imaginable that a prince could do. It was very much of an understatement that he was extremely bored. The glowing sock he had pinned to his wall suddenly started shaking, and the yarn puff jumped up in excitement. 

Kirby was coming to visit! It had been years since Fluff had last seen Kirby, and he couldn't wait to see the Dreamland puff again. Though the blue yarn puff hadn't seen the child, he'd been thinking about Kirby ever since he'd left Patch Land after Yin-Yarn’s defeat. Kirby was always so wonderfully kind and amazing that Fluff couldn't  _ wait _ to see him again!  And though he had never admitted it, the prince had harbored a childish crush on the hero ever since they had gotten to know each other better. 

Then Kirby jumped out with a huge smile, and Fluff tackled him to the ground in a hug. “Kirby! It’s been forever!” The prince exclaimed, squeezing the pink puff affectionately. “I’ve been waiting to see you again!”

“Same here, Fluff,” Kirby laughed, his paws pinned to his sides by the other puff. “Popstar’s been peaceful so I thought I’d pop in!”

“I’m glad you did!” The light blue puff felt a blush coming onto his cheeks, and he suddenly felt a wave of boldness. “K-Kirby… do you want to go to Treat Land with me?”

The child grinned widely. “I’d love to go to Treat Land with you! It’ll be just like our adventure, but without any threat!”

Prince Fluff smiled nervously, realizing that the other puff had no idea he was being asked out on a date. “That… that’s great then! Let’s get going.”

~-~-~-~-~

“I’d forgotten just how much cake there was here,” Kirby marveled, drool already slipping out the side of his mouth. “Meta Knight would’ve loved it here! Come on, Fluff, let’s go eat!” The child grabbed Fluff’s paw, and the prince flushed from the sudden contact. His mind was going through an emotional overload, and the light blue puff allowed himself to be dragged. 

Kirby jumped right into one of the cakes and made a small circular hole just big enough for the two of them. The pink puff started to happily scoop cake into his mouth, Fluff doing the same- albeit slower. What he was more focused on was the fact that Kirby looked so  _ cute _ with cake frosting smeared all over his cheeks, and their bodies were practically touching, and  _ oh, how Fluff just wanted to lean over and kiss him _ \- but that was behavior unfit for a prince. The child didn’t seem to notice his inner turmoil and kept on eating the cake around them until he caught the prince staring at him.

“What’s wrong, Fluff? Why aren’t you eating?” Kirby asked, getting closer to the other yarn puff. “This cake is great and you haven’t eaten a bite in at least ten minutes! You don’t have a stomachache, do you? I’d hate to go back to your castle now!”

“No no, I’m fine, Kirby,” Fluff said. “I was just admiring how cute you look when the sun shines on you like that-” The prince clapped his paws over his mouth as the pink yarn puff stared at him.

The child suddenly smiled, going back to eating his cake. “Thanks! No one’s really described me like that, but alright!” Then he dawned on something and smiled deviously, and the prince backed up a bit. “In fact, it’s actually kinda getting hot over here. Would you mind scooting over so I can sit in the shade with you?” Kirby giggled as Fluff smashed his face into the cake to hide his embarrassment, and the pink puff moved in next to him anyway. 

After a few minutes of silence, the prince lifted his head, frosting dripping off him and his face flushed from embarrassment. “Kirby, I get the feeling that you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”

“Really? Then what am I thinking, Fluff~”

“Ah… I… Honestly, do Meta Knight and Dedede let you act like this…” 

“Well, they don’t really pay much attention to my behavior unless I’ve been around Marx or Magolor. I’m always on good behavior around them!”

“That explains a lot… you’re always so wonderful and I like you very much! There! I said it!” Fluff covered his face to hide his rapidly growing blush before Kirby grabbed his paws and hugged him just as tight as the prince had hugged him before.

“Took you long enough to say it… I like you too, Fluff, just in case you haven’t noticed.

“Oh, I’ve noticed alright… you’re a riot, Kirby…”

The child winked at the prince. “Comes with the package.” Kirby looked around their surroundings curiously. “Should we get out of this cake and clean up?”

“Good idea!” The two jumped out and headed to Water Land, their paws intertwined and a skip in their step.


	26. Amazing Mirror Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days since Kirby rescued Meta Knight, and Dedede knows that something isn't right when he hears his strongest knight crying in his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular story happens after the events of Amazing Mirror (an old game but very good). Set in gijinkaverse, because I wanted to write something that dealt with humans for once :)

Dedede was walking down the hallway, glad that Meta Knight was back from wherever he had been taken. Kirby had done his job again and saved the knight from what the child said was an alternate mirror dimension of Dreamland. It chilled the king to know there was an evil version of his favorite knight, but no one was perfect, so it was to be expected. He passed Meta Knight’s living quarters (as he liked to call it), and when Dedede heard crying, he panicked, immediately bursting in with his hammer.

“Meta! What’s wrong?! Who…” The king trailed off as he gulped and looked around. Meta Knight was sitting on the floor of his room, tears trailing down his unmasked face and half-dried scars on his face. The knight’s navy blue hair was messy and an entire first aid kit had been dumped out around him, with rubbing alcohol, rolls of gauze, bandages, and other wrappings.

“Meta. Ya’ve been tryin’ to do this yerself all this time?” The warrior nodded wordlessly, and Dedede set his hammer down before picking him up princess-style with a caring smile on his face. “Come on now. The floor ain’t no place to be doin’ this. I’ll get ya on yer bed, and I’ll help ya, alright? Lemme do all that, ‘cause the only thing ya need to do right now is rest an’ recover. Got it?” Meta Knight clung to the king’s robe, whimpering as he shifted his arm, and held on when the larger man tried to leave.

“N-no… do-don’t go, Dedede, _please_ , I n-need you…” 

Dedede’s heart broke as the knight begged him to stay, but he had to get the supplies from outside. “Meta, it’s jus’ for a lil’ while. I need the stuff ya had outside, or I can’t help ya. I won’t leave yer room, promise, but I need that medicine.”

“O-ok… I-I’m sorry…” The warrior drew his knees into his chest and cried harder, his entire body shaking.

“Don’t gotta be sorry, sugarplum,” the king soothed, rubbing his back and pressing a kiss to his knight’s head. “We all need help once in a while, y’know? Calm down a bit, alright? I’ll be back in less than five minutes. I’d love to carry ya here and there, but I need both my arms to carry stuff.” Meta Knight nodded, leaning against the wall, and Dedede ran to the main room to collect everything. He gathered everything into his arms and dumped it all into the empty first aid box he found on the couch before running back to make sure his knight was still ok. 

“Alright, Meta. Yer wings are fine, right? Nothin’ wrong there?” 

“Lots happened to them, but I got Bandanna to do it for me…” The knight revealed his wings, professionally wrapped in the manner that the king had come to expect from his best assistant.

“If Bandee did it, then it’s jus’ fine,” Dedede chuckled, hoping he could make the warrior stop crying. “What ‘bout yer sword arm? It seems pretty bad off.”

“Broken… I think… Bandanna respects me enough to not ask about other things when I ask him to treat one thing…”

“Meta…” The king put it in a sling, immensely grateful for all the times Bandanna Dee had taught him basic first aid. “What exactly did they have ya do over there? It’s like ya’ve been fightin’ nonstop.”

Meta Knight fell silent, and it wasn’t until a few minutes later that Dedede realized he was crying again. “Oh my Nova, Meta, I’m so sorry! It was somethin’ I said, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Meta…” The king covered his knight in a hug and let the warrior cry into his robes. 

“No-not your fault, De-Dedede, i-it was just how _terrible it was…_ ”

“Ok ok… shh, shh, you’re alright now… how ‘bout I patch ya up first an’ we can talk about it later? Anythin’ under yer armor I should know ‘bout?”

“Chest aches too… and a lot of things hit me there…” The warrior had calmed down some, but he was still sniffling in Dedede’s embrace. 

“That’s probably a broken rib or somethin’, maybe some bruises. I’ll help ya take yer armor off, ok? I jus’ want’cha to feel better, Meta. We can talk ‘bout it later.”

“You have some right to know as my liege, but it hurts so much to remember…”

“Then that’s alright. Ya can talk ‘bout it when yer ready.”

~-~-~-~-~

A few minutes later, Dedede put the first aid supplies away and kept Meta Knight in his arms, seeing how much he needed the emotional support. The knight, for once, allowed himself to be hugged, his arms entwining with the king’s. Dedede picked him up and moved to the main room, setting the warrior- now dressed in a dark blue kimono instead of his armor- down on the couch. 

“Ya stay here, find a movie or somethin’, and I’ll make ya yer favorite parfait,” the king offered, smiling. “That sound good? Ya _did_ restock on chocolate ice cream, right?”

“That sounds good, but can I… can we talk about it first?” Meta Knight asked nervously. “I’ve somewhat come to terms with what happened, and at least… if the memories do get out of hand, I’ll have you…”

Dedede sighed, then stepped out of the kitchen and sat down, gathering the knight into his arms and covering him with his robes. “Start wherever ya want, Meta.”

Meta Knight leaned further into the king, comforted by his closeness and warmth. “My doppelganger… my dark self of sorts was causing trouble. My dimensional abilities allowed me to sense this, and I flew up to survey the problem. When he saw me, he wanted to fight me, so I did. I cut one of his eyes in the fight, and a few seconds after that, he knocked me unconscious. I woke up in a cage and… actually, can I get the ice cream first…”

Dedede got up, took his robe off, and carefully draped it around the knight. “I’ll get ya yer parfait then. I swear to Nova, if I _ever_ meet yer dark mirror self, I’ll bash ‘im to bits like he deserves. No one hurts my Mety Knighty and gets away with it.” The king disappeared around the corner, and though the warrior knew he was still there, still alive, he got up anyway and went over.

Hearing Meta Knight’s footsteps, Dedede turned around. “Meta, ya shouldn’t be up an’ about,” he lightly scolded. “Go back an’ sit down. I don’t want yer injuries reopenin’ again.”

“I know… Kirby shattered my evil self but I can’t help being protective… even if it _is_ my job,” the knight said, smiling. “I just don’t want you getting hurt by something I could’ve prevented.”

“Is that because ya love me, my dearest knight?”

“So what if I do…”

The king chortled, handing a tall parfait to him. “I knew ya did! Now did ya wanna keep talkin’ ‘bout it in the kitchen, or move back into the livin’ room?”

Meta Knight picked up the spoon and dug into his ice cream. “The kitchen’s fine, I don’t want a mess on the carpet anyway.” He took a deep breath, feeling for Dedede’s hand under the table and squeezing it tightly. “Here’s what else happened…”

* * *

His back hit cage bars and Meta Knight slumped to the floor, his body exhausted and his head aching from where his mirror self had slammed the hilt of his sword to knock him out. It closed around him, and the knight looked up in time to see Dark Meta Knight evilly grin at him before walking away.

The blue warrior smirked as he saw the eyepatch that the other had taken to wearing since their fight; it had been no easy feat to injure him that badly, even if he _was_ made of glass and Galaxia could cut through actual flesh. He leaned against the bars and his right shoulder exploded with pain, drawing a hiss from him. Meta Knight drew himself up and looked around; he was in some sort of basement or confinement area, and wherever he was, he was most certainly above ground.

The knight heard the distant sound of an explosion, and something heavy dropped to the ground, making the whole ceiling shake. His cage- he learned too late- was attached to that ceiling, and when it shook, he lost his balance, gripping the bars until it stopped. Once it had stopped shaking, the warrior looked up, figuring it was some sort of colosseum. He could hear loud cheering and an announcement, then the word “Dreamland”.

He winced, realizing that he was going to fight who knows what up there. Just thinking about it made his shoulder ache again and while Meta Knight knew his sword arm hadn’t fully healed yet, he had no other choice. Then the cage rattled, sending him into blinding light, and before him was a giant blue demon with spikes on his back. The crowd cheered wildly and gasped at how colorful he was. Meta Knight drew Galaxia and looked around at the grey, white, and black masses gathered in the stands.

“And now we have Meta Knight of Dreamlaaaand! Yes, _the_ Dreamland!” The knight whipped his head towards the voice and saw the announcer right next to his evil mirror self. Meta Knight scowled, then turned to face the beast, who was already charging one of its attacks up. A giant stream of ice jetted out of the beast’s mouth and the knight unfurled his wings, jumping over the stream and landing on its back.

The crowd _ooh_ ed, watching his every move like a hawk, and Meta Knight let Galaxia’s fire powers out before plunging it between the scales and into the monster’s soft flesh. It roared and bucked, throwing the warrior off and into the walls. Luckily, he merged his wings with his cape just before the impact, so there was no harm done to what could be his most valuable asset in a fight. It still hurt when his back hit stone, but he was able to drag himself up and rush towards it with Galaxia at the front.

The ice monster roared and blasted ice everywhere; the knight took to the skies to avoid it, but part of the attack clipped him, sending numbing chills through his wings and back. He spiralled down, slammed the flat of his blade into the side of the beast’s head, and flew in front of its mouth. It blasted his wing, freezing it solid, and Meta Knight winced as he crashed into the ground. He surveyed his wing, then flipped them both into his cape as he swung Galaxia and created an arc of energy. The arc cut straight through the beast’s chest and it crashed to the ground amid more cheers and screams. 

“Well, well, well, looks like my original is stronger than we thought,” Dark Meta Knight said with a smirk, looking down. Everyone grew silent and turned to him. “You’ll be seeing him back.” The crowds cheered again, and two guards dragged him off. Before he knew it, the blue knight was shoved into his cage again, and he hung his head, running his finger over Galaxia’s hilt for comfort.

~-~-~-~-~

Meta Knight had flipped his wings out, gazing at the frozen appendage wistfully. The right was folded tightly against his back, but the left stayed in that open position; he hadn’t been able to feel it ever since he got back. _Galaxia, can you do anything about it?_ He asked mentally, fervently hoping she could.

_I can send my fire into it, but it will be extremely painful, dear heart. Thawing your wing unnaturally like you are asking me to do will cause you great pain._

_Not being able to fly next battle will cause me even more pain. I am not dying in the Mirror World, of all places._

_If you do say so, Meta Knight._ The knight suddenly felt fire flowing through his wing and gasped at the white-hot pain coursing through it. He lay on the ground, trying to keep from crying in pain, and grabbing his wing with one hand. The warrior could see the ice retreating to show membrane and bone, flesh and claw, but he didn’t expect it to burn so _badly_.

Galaxia sighed, pushing even more fire into it. _I did warn you about the pain, dear heart. Though I must admit there is some logic in wanting your wing to be thawed._

_You do realize I am not the best listener, G-Galaxia…_

_Oh, I certainly know, dear._ Meta Knight yelped as another wave of hot fire swept through his wing, making the last of the ice melt and soak through his gloves. He gasped for breath, curling his fingers and taking his gloves off, placing them on a somewhat dry spot on the floor of his cage. The knight was still unable to feel his newly thawed wing, but his efforts to move it resulted in it shifting, meaning that he was recovering- even if slightly.

_Galaxia, I think I’ll take a nap…_

_And I think you deserve one. Sleep, dear heart, and I will watch over you in this world. Pleasant dreams._ Galaxia slowly wove a dream and sent it into her champion’s head, and within minutes, he was asleep.

* * *

“It happened like that, but many, many more times,” Meta Knight said, spooning the last of his ice cream into his mouth. “After that, I was too tired or injured to really move much, and I had to rely on Galaxia to heal me. Even then, she cannot get everything…”

Dedede gazed at his knight worriedly, then stood up and hugged him tightly. “That sounds terrible. I’m glad yer safe,” he soothed. “And yer real thin too. They prolly didn’t feed ya, did they?”

“Only a little…”

“Well, from what it sounds like, ya need a lot of TLC! Why don’t ya rest, Mety Knight, and when ya wake up, I’ll have real food ready fer ya!”

“That sounds good, thank you… mmh, so tired… thank you again, Your Majesty…”

The king picked his knight up and started walking back to his room. “It’s Dedede, Meta. And yer welcome, honeybunch! Ya should take a nice long nap after all that, ya hear?” Meta Knight, however, was already asleep, his head tucked into the crook of Dedede’s arm. “Heh. Lil’ sleepyhead.” The king gently put the warrior down on his bed and covered him with his blankets. Dedede sat down on the mattress, pressing a kiss to the knight’s head and stroking his hair.

“Sweet Nova, this man can’t ever catch a break… better start makin’ that food. My knight deserves a feast after everythin’ that’s happened to ‘im, an’ I’ll be damned if I ain’t the one that’s givin’ my bestest knight everythin’ he needs.” The king got up, kissed Meta Knight one last time, then headed to the kitchen.


	27. Darkness Descends Ch. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party goes to Nightmare and an argument is resolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not uploading earlier, I know it's been a while but I sorta just ran into some writer's block, and this in itself seems really rushed to me ^-^
> 
> I'll try to be faster with the next chapter of the arc!

The light faded and Dedede stood up, looking around in alarm as the dust from the explosion settled. The king had seen Meta Knight right before the blast, but as soon as the bomb exploded, he’d lost sight of the puff as the force made him tumble backward. “Great King! Great King!” Bandanna exclaimed, the Halberd crew following him. “Are you alright? Where’s Meta Knight?”

“Where Meta is, I dunno. He should be somewhere around here, but I really got no clue,” the king said worriedly, looking around. “Wait… Meta! There he is!” He ran into the cloud of dust, and by the time it settled, the crew and Bandanna could see Dedede holding a shivering blue bundle in his arms. 

“Is Sir Meta Knight ok?” Sailor Dee asked anxiously, the rest of the crew gathering around him. 

“He’s chilled to the bone and knocked out from the blast, but given some time, he’ll be alright,” Dedede sighed in relief. “Besides, Meta’ll be fine, he ain’t yer cap’n for nothin’! He’s gon’ make it jus’ fine.” The king put Meta Knight into his robes, holding the puff against his chest with one hand and holding his hammer with the other. “Now we gonna pay Nightmare back for what he did to Meta- an’ Kirby!” They all cheered and began to rush forward with their weapons outstretched. Dedede charged down one hallway, then swiftly turned into another, the crew struggling to follow him. 

“Great King! Great Kiiiing!” Bandanna yelled, the Halberd crew trailing behind him. “How do you know where we’re going?!”

“I just got this mental map of where Nightmare’s holdin’ Kirby!” Dedede shouted back, bashing guards and demons to the side. “It’s prolly a trap, but we got no other leads! Best take what we can get now ‘stead o’ wonderin’ where Nightmare is an’ increasin’ the chance that he’ll hurt Kirby!”

“Alright Great King!” Mace yelled, cutting through the rest of the remaining guards. “We trust you!”

“Remember, we ain’t stoppin’ at nothin’ to get Kirby an’ Popstar’s peace back! If anyone tries to reason with ya, tell ‘em we ain’t stoppin’, no way, no how! We don’t need no one turned to Nightmare’s side now!”

“Yes, Great King!” The crew and Bandanna roared, stabbing, shooting, and bashing guards everywhere they went. They turned left and right, breaking the guard ranks in a synchronized arrow formation. Sailor Dee had grabbed onto the back of the king’s robe, shooting wherever he could; Dedede didn’t seem to mind much, seeing that he was also busy with taking the guards out. 

When the onslaught of guards had stopped, the king let Sailor off the back of his robe, gave everyone a break, and looked around. They had left a huge trail of carnage and Nightmare could easily track them now, but of course, the eldritch wasn’t particularly interested in that. Dedede checked that the crew and Bandanna were still okay (shuddering at the blood dripping from all their weapons), then gazed forlornly at the unconscious Meta Knight in his robe. 

The knight was still shivering intensely, though it had calmed down a little from earlier. The king gently took his mask off and kissed one of the warrior’s cheeks, smiling at how cute he was. Dedede realized that he hadn’t checked the puff’s wounds since they’d entered the base. Unwrapping his bandages, however, showed that there was nothing visibly wrong, and though the king knew he could always get Bandanna Dee to double-check, that would likely make the others very worried. Dedede fixed the wrappings as best he could before putting Meta Knight’s mask back on and joining the others. 

“Right! We gotta get back on track and follow Nightmare!” He commanded, briefly taking a sip from his flask of water. “We all ready, right?” 

“Yes we are, Great King,” Bandanna Dee chirped, twirling his now-clean spear. “We’re all rested and ready to kick Nightmare’s butt!”

“Great! Now let’s get out there again an’ find Nightmare! For Popstar!”

* * *

When Meta Knight came to, there were two things that he became aware of- one: he was freezing but alive, meaning that he had survived the bomb blast earlier, and two: he was near something that distantly radiated warmth and was constantly moving. 

The knight opened his eyes, groaning and shivering, to see Dedede’s bright red robe and light yellow, custom-made shirt. The warrior could feel something heavy pressing down on his side and keeping him from falling out, but he was still too numb to figure out what it is. He tried to get any part of his body to move, and in the end, he managed to kick feebly, his feet brushing up against something. Dedede looked down at him, grinned widely, and shouted something to what the puff assumed were his crew and Bandanna Dee before running into a nearby alley.

“Ya hang on, alright, Meta? I’ll get ya up and ready to fight in no time at all,” the king said, digging through his pack. “I knew we were gonna need soup.”

Meta Knight suddenly dawned on something, staying silent as the penguin continued to search through his supplies.  _ He… he’s genuinely happy I’m alive..? Even after I told him off for a mistake  _ I _ did… stars, I need to apologize, don’t I… _

Galaxia pulsed with light from beside him as her spirit came out and joined the fighting.  _ I believe you should, dear heart. If he had allowed you to go out there when you saw Kirby, you would’ve jeopardized the entire mission. _

The knight knew Galaxia was right, as usual, so when Dedede picked him up with a thermos and spoon in his hand, he attempted to speak through his shivering. “D-d-ded-de-”

“Don’t try to talk now, Meta,” the king lightly scolded, opening the thermos and pulling the puff’s mask up to the top of his head. “You’ll bite yer tongue off if ya try to talk while shiverin’ like that.”

“N-need t-to s-say s-s-sor-ry f-for earl-lier… I u-unders-stand n-now…”

Dedede lit up and gladly fed the warrior a spoonful of soup. “Aww, that’s wonderful to hear, Meta! I know we have some differences when we’re dealin’ with Nightmare… but as long as ya know my reasoning, then that’s fine! Now be quiet and eat yer soup, ok? An’ no more talkin’, lest ya actually want yer tongue to get chopped off.” Meta Knight nodded and willed himself to stop shivering as he ate more soup. 

“Y-you weren’t t-too worried about the b-bomb, w-were you?” The knight asked once he’d finished. 

“Well, would ya look at that, ya can form coherent sentences now,” Dedede chuckled. Then he sighed, his voice getting quieter. “As fer the bomb… well, anyone would be worried if they saw their bestest knight and most wonderful boyfriend run off into a bomb blast. Not that everyone has a knight as good as ya, sugarplum.”

“R-really ch-choosing the best t-time t-to express y-your l-love…”

“Well, I have to! I almost lost ya, Mety! An’ it would’ve been jus’ terrible if I did… Why ya gotta be so stubborn, Meta? What did I tell ya on the Halberd if ya wanted to come?”

Meta Knight winced, suddenly remembering what he’d promised to the king. “I t-told you that I’d do whatever you s-said and that I’d let you help m-me if I was tired…”

“And..? Did ya hold up to this promise?”

“Not yet…”

Dedede smiled, hugging the knight closer. “Well, ya can always start now, can’t ya? Looks like Galaxia is already out there, so now all ya have to do is climb in my room and let me hug ya!”

“I… oh, alright…” The knight settled in, taking to watching Bandanna and his crew fight the guards off. “It seems you have been making good progress. I do remember where this is, we’re very close to Nightmare’s chambers. How did you find your way here?”

“Nightmare gave me a map in my head to find ‘im and where he’s keepin’ Kirby. It’s prolly a trap, but it ain’t like we got any other choice.”

“I trust your judgement, Dedede… lead us in the right direction.”

“Great King! We’ve successfully cleared out the guards!” Bandanna Dee reported, retreating from the battlefield with the others. “We have also looted a bunch of weapons from the incapacitated bodies, not to mention the- wait, Sir Meta Knight’s awake!”

“Sir Meta Knight!” The crew cheered, joy in their voices.

“I’m alright, yes,” Meta Knight said warmly. “For now, Dedede will be leading while I take a little break. After all, I did promise him…”

“We don’t mind, Sir!” Sailor Dee responded happily. “Take as much time as you need!” The knight disappeared into the robe, though he peeked out occasionally, and Dedede stepped out of the hallway. Looking around and seeing no more guards, he dashed out and turned towards one of the bigger corridors. On the way, Bandanna was surprised to see that there weren’t any guards left, despite how heavily patrolled the area had been before. Before long, the king stopped before a giant pair of double doors, and he charged up his mech hammer.

“Get ready to storm the room,” Dedede commanded. “Because this place is comin’ down!” The hammer slammed into the doors with a massive echo- Bandanna, Meta Knight, and the crew wincing from the sound- and the doors fell, revealing Nightmare with Kirby’s cage in his hand.

~-~-~-~-~

“So it seems that you’ve finally made it here,” Nightmare said, grinning evilly. Kirby’s still body lay on the bottom of the cage, and Dedede resisted the temptation to grab Galaxia and chuck it into Nightmare’s face. 

“What. Have you done. WIth Kirby?” Meta Knight asked coldly, fury barely hidden in the depths of his voice. From what it seemed, the knight was also resisting some primal urge, and the king somehow knew that it involved Galaxia and a dead Nightmare.

The eldritch smiled, baring his sharp teeth. “Oh, nothing much, my dear Meta Knight. All I have done was a little experimenting with his copy ability, the ability that has defeated me countless times. It’s only natural that I try to learn about my enemy. Ah, what was it? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

“Whatever adage that was, that ain’t gon’ justify yer reason for takin’ Kirby!” Dedede gripped his hammer tighter, and suddenly, the warrior disappeared; the penguin tried not to panic, knowing the puff probably had a plan.

Nightmare gasped comically. “Oh! Such sophisticated language from a backwater country like yours! But what are you going to do, fight me?”

“Precisely!” A golden light shot out from the shadows behind Nightmare and struck the hand with Kirby’s cage in it. Nightmare screeched in pain, and the cage started to plummet to the floor. Meta Knight appeared and swooped down, catching the cage before it could hit the ground. He landed neatly in front of Dedede and flipped his wings into his cape, a glimmer in his golden eyes.

“Sweet Nova, Mety, don’t scare me like that!” The king scolded lightheartedly, picking the knight up again. “I was wonderin’ where ya went!” The warrior was about to respond when Nightmare growled and glared at them, unbridled rage emanating from him. Bandanna Dee and the crew got started on getting Kirby out of the cage, but not before they saw the smoking cut that Galaxia’s sword beam had left. 

“If you want to play dirty,” he yowled, “then let’s play dirty!” Nightmare swept his hand over them, and Dedede fell asleep instantly, almost crushing Meta Knight. The puff leapt out of the way and hacked at the cage with his sword, watching as his crew and Bandanna Dee succumbed to the eldritch’s magic. Being a creature of magic himself coupled with Galaxia’s magic resistance, the knight was able to last longer, but even now, he could feel himself growing sleepy as he pulled the pink child out of the cage.

“Kirby! Wake up, Kirby, we need you,” Meta Knight pleaded, shaking him. “Please… please wake… up…” The knight collapsed from the magic, and Kirby opened his eyes to see his friends passed out before him. Yet, before he could say a word about it, the pink puff was hit by Nightmare’s magic and he fell into the dream world with his friends.


	28. Darkness Descends Ch. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up, an epic battle with Nightmare ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised on my Tumblr blog, this is the new chapter coming up this week. I felt in the mood to make another chapter of this arc, so here you go :)

The last thing Meta Knight remembered was falling asleep in Nightmare’s chambers, and while he knew the extent of the eldritch’s powers, it still came as a surprise to him that he woke on a huge grass field with Nightmare himself looming in the distance.

“Meta! Oy, Mety Knight!” Dedede shouted, offering a hand to the warrior. “Dunno if ya realized, but we got a giant eldritch abomination to fight, so get up and quit daydreamin’!” Then the king crouched, getting down to the puff’s height. “Yer crew and Bandee are still tryin’ to wake Kirby. We gotta distract Nightmare until he wakes up!”

“Of course. Kirby is our asset, and without him, we may not be able to defeat Nightmare. Apologies, Your Majesty,” the knight said, taking the hand and standing up. “But where exactly are we..?”

“You are in a world of my creation,” Nightmare chortled, his voice echoing off unseen walls. “Here you will fight as you wished, and here I will decide your fate!” His cloak billowed out, showing the whirling tornado, and energy crackled on the tips of his claw-like fingers. Without warning, he shot his energy stars towards the party. Meta Knight was quick to put a dome guard up, but the barrage of energy stars showed no end.

“I cannot keep this up forever,” the knight hissed, his sword arm shaking and his breathing getting faster. “We must act soon!”

“Launch one o’ yer fancy sword beam thingies!” Dedede offered anxiously. Seeing his knight in pain was killing him, and it was all Nightmare’s fault. “Can’t that stop the stars? I’ll protect the others for ya!”

“I will certainly try!” The guard dissolved and became a golden arc of light shooting towards Nightmare. The beam of light made the stars around it dissipate into thin air, and it hurtled towards the eldritch, hitting him square in the face. He roared in pain and in his fury, sent a dark version of a sword beam at them. 

“Meta! Watch out!” Dedede grabbed the puff in a tackle and rolled out of the path of the beam right before it crashed into the ground, leaving a smoking hole in the ground. Bandanna and the crew had already carried a still-unconscious Kirby to safety, and they had continued their efforts to get him to wake.

The warrior hopped out of the king’s arms and looked up at him. “Dedede, that… that was unnecessary, seeing as I could’ve dodged it, but I suppose it’s alright.”

“Ya forgot the most important thing of this whole expedition, Meta! Ya gotta let me take care of ya, remember, my sweet lil’ Mety Knighty!”

“Ah… for Nova’s sake, fine…” Then Meta Knight felt a soft tap on his arm and he looked back to see Kirby, awake and armed with the Star Rod. 

The child grinned and brandished the rod at Nightmare. “Come on, Meta. Let’s take this guy down.”

“The Star Rod?! How did you bring the Star Rod into  _ my  _ realm?!” Nightmare was even more furious than before, and even through his glasses, the party could see how enraged he was. “The very light I wanted to snuff! I shall kill it here and now!!!” He pointed one finger at them, and after a while of charging, sent one giant star at them. At the same time, he sent a burst of magic at them, making everyone but the puffs collapse at the ground. 

Both Meta Knight and Kirby looked horrified at this, but they quickly stepped in front to protect their friends. 

“This looks like it’s going to take a lot more than just the Star Rod,” Kirby noted, watching the looming star get ever closer. “And before you say anything, yes, it’ll probably take more than Galaxia as well.”

“I suppose you’re right, though there isn’t much she can’t do,” the knight hesitantly admitted. “Perhaps if we use both at the same time..?”

“That might work! Ok then, three, two, one!” The pair slashed their respective weapons in front of them, and a giant star accompanied by a curve of shining light shot out. They got closer and closer until eventually, they combined into one massive star that was much bigger than that of Nightmare’s. It got rid of the dark star with ease and went on to Nightmare. Meta Knight smirked, knowing the eldritch couldn’t do much against the combined power of two holy weapons, when the star passed right through him.

“Wh-what?! Meta, you… you saw that too, didn’t you? It just phased right through him!” Kirby panicked. 

“I- I don’t understand… he was right there!” Meta Knight said, swearing under his breath. “Where’d he go…”

“Meta! Psst! Meta!” The knight turned around and saw Dedede slowly crawling to him, his hammer dragging on the ground. “I could sense the magic comin’ from ‘im. Right when ya launched yer attack, he teleported away an’ left that illusion of ‘imself. He tricked ya, Meta!”

“But then where’d he…” Kirby disappeared from beside him, the Star Rod dropping from his paws, and the warrior looked up to see Nightmare holding Kirby. “Stars, not this again.”

“I have your precious hero! And without him, you can no longer use the Star Rod to defeat me! Admit your defeat and I might just let you escape here ali- aah!” Missiles shot into Nightmare’s hand and he released Kirby; Dedede was suddenly standing next to Meta Knight with his hammer slung over his shoulder. The king caught Kirby with one arm and set him down next to the Star Rod. 

He picked it up again, and by this time, Bandanna Dee and the crew had recovered from Nightmare’s magic. They got up and pointed their own weapons at the eldritch, not willing to back down without a fight.

Nightmare growled, not happy about the sudden turn of events. “Surely after being targeted by so many otherworldly beings, you would’ve learned to keep quiet and lay low… but I will fight too, and I will win!”

* * *

That was the declaration of war, a war that would decide Popstar’s very fate. Gunshots and lasers filled the air, and though their effect was small, it served the purpose of irritating Nightmare. “Stop it, you insolent beings! You should know that they have no effect on me!” He bellowed, his voice echoing everywhere. 

He let his cloak flare, revealing the whirlwind inside, and in seconds, stars, sword beams, and missiles were aimed at it. The eldritch noticed them a second too late and he moved his hand in a last-ditch attempt to block it, but the projectiles had already done their damage. They struck at his core, causing more pain than should have been imaginable, and from the ground, Kirby pumped his paw into the air. 

Nightmare almost doubled over in pain, but with a flick of his hand, he disappeared. Everyone looked around, trying to find the eldritch, but suddenly, there was another explosion behind them. The force of it sent all of them flying back with great force, Kirby’s shrill scream mixed with the sounds of the bomb. Sailor Dee jumped up and fired a few more rounds, soon joined by Axe, Mace, Trident, and Javelin. 

Bandanna Dee took a little longer to get up and join them, mainly because he had been shot much further back than the others, but he too was soon hurling his spears at Nightmare. Dedede hadn’t skidded very far, and he had caught Kirby in one arm. A blue blur sped by above him, and the king reached up to try and catch it. A hard metal lump collided with his arm, and Meta Knight fell onto the penguin’s stomach, dazed from the explosion but still conscious. 

“Nasty gremlin, havin’ the  _ nerve _ to attack us behind our backs…” Dedede hissed, subconsciously realizing that maybe some of his knight’s chivalry had rubbed off on him. “Can’t understand why he can’t just stay down, for Nova’s sake… let’s get ‘im!” The king took off with Kirby and Meta Knight tucked under his arms and dashed off towards Nightmare. 

“Your Majesty, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” The warrior asked mischievously, holding Galaxia up.

“I dunno what yer thinkin’, but if yer thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’, then sure!”

“What in Nova’s name are you two thinking…” 

“This!” Dedede hurled the knight at Nightmare, who promptly unfurled his wings and zoomed towards Nightmare. The eldritch didn’t notice at first, and he only noticed when the warrior swiped him in the face with Galaxia. 

“Wha- you!! Where did you come from?!” Nightmare roared, trying to catch him. “Get over here!” Meta Knight flew towards the eldritch’s face, and Nightmare quickly brought one hand up to slap him. At the last moment, the puff teleported away, leaving Nightmare to slap himself. When that happened, everyone on the ground erupted into laughter and the knight appeared in front of them. 

“Nice job, Meta!” Dedede grabbed him and hugged him tight. “Yer fine now, aint ya? Lemme undo yer bandages on yer back an’ wings.” The winged puff happily complied, and as the crew kept firing and Kirby got some stars in, the king unwrapped the warrior’s bandages and noticed that the wound on his back was mostly healed. Not only that, but the membrane of his wings also looked much better than they had before.

“I heal fast,” Meta Knight smirked, his wings already flexing and reveling in their newbound freedom. “Just part of my genes.”

“Sure glad ya do,” the king chuckled, preparing to throw the puff again. “Now get at ‘em, Meta.” Dedede sucked him up and spat him at Nightmare, the knight’s wings flapping furiously. 

“Whoa!” Kirby said, smiling. “That’s what you did to me when we first met Nightmare! Do it to me too!”

“No offense, Kirbs, but you don’t got no wings! How’re ya supposed to stay up there?”

“I actually can get wings!” The Star Rod started glowing, covering the battlefield in a soothing light. In seconds, Kirby’s eyes opened, a pair of shimmering, starry wings on his back. 

“I never knew the Star Rod had powers like that,” Sailor Dee murmured, the crew and Bandanna Dee staring in awe. 

“Well the more you know, the better,” Kirby grinned. “Now Dedede? Launch me up there with Meta, would you?”


	29. Smash Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Meta-Knights can get up to some pretty dumb stuff when they're off-duty.

“There is no way you’re better than me at playing Sir Meta Knight,” Axe Knight declared, holding up his Joy-Con. 

“In your dreams,” Sword retorted. “Didn’t I beat you once?”

“You were playing Kirby. Everyone knows that you main Kirby like no tomorrow!”

“Guys, if anyone’s the best at maining Sir Meta Knight, it has to be me,” Mace exclaimed. 

_ Shouldn't I be the best? _ Javelin beeped with a slight tone of annoyance.  _ After all, I  _ am _ a robot. _

“Just because you're a bot doesn't mean you're good, Javelin!” Trident shouted. Blade was chattering unintelligibly, though from how Sword smacked him in the back of the head, he probably assumed that he was the best at playing their lord like all the others. 

“Guys, I thought we were just going to play Smash Ultimate,” Sailor Dee pouted. “Not have a full-blown argument!”

“What is all this commotion about?” Meta Knight flew into the room and sat down in the middle of his crew. “I didn’t realize it was Smash night. Then again, you are off-duty…”

“They’re having an argument to see who can play you the best in Smash, sir,” Sailor Dee offered, leaning against the wall. “Obviously,  _ I’m _ the best, but they’d all go as far as to attack a harmless Waddle Dee.”

The crew glared at the Dee, but stopped when the knight spoke up. “If we’re talking about maining  _ me _ , it’s a little bit of an understatement that I should win.”

“Wanna prove that, sir?”

“Gladly.” The puff grabbed a Joy-Con and settled in, pushing his mask to the top of his head like he usually did while relaxing with his crew. 

“Before we argue on costumes like we always do, guys,” Sailor Dee said, “I think we should let Sir Meta Knight have the real costume while we take the others.”

“That would make the most sense,” Sword admitted, Blade nodding in agreement. “I call being the Galacta Knight alt!”

Axe stood up and glared at the blue-clad knight. “No fair! You got to be the Galacta Knight alt last time! Take the Dark Meta Knight alt this time!”

Meta Knight and Sailor watched as they put the Joy-Cons on the table and started fighting over the costumes. “This happens every time, Dee?”

“Like you wouldn’t imagine, sir.”

~-~-~-~-~

After a few minutes, the crew had gotten the matter of costumes sorted out, and they went on to pick the stage. The cursor hovered just above the Halberd stage, and before Meta Knight could click it, Trident interrupted. 

“Hold on! Just to make sure everyone’s trying their hardest, why don’t we all wager something?” He asked, a mischievous glint in what could be seen of his eyes. 

“I don’t mind!” Axe crowed. “I’m going to win anyway!” He slapped down an all-you-can-eat coupon for the buffet chain Dedede had started and sat back in his beanbag chair with a smug smile. 

“I have a tub of strawberry cheesecake ice cream in the fridge I’d be more than happy to offer,” Sailor Dee chirped, quickly drawing it out and slipping it into the wager pile. The Dee noticed how Meta Knight subtly gripped his controller harder at the mention of ice cream- and it didn’t go unnoticed by the other crew members either.

“I’m sure I’ll enjoy that ice cream, Dee,” Trident smirked, dropping his new dPhone into the mix. “While browsing the internet on my phone!” Sword and Blade, having nothing else they could think of to add, carefully unsheathed their weapons and placed them down.

“I’ll blow you all to bits- in the game and in real life!” Mace exclaimed, throwing a rocket launcher onto the pile. 

_ I don’t really have anything, so can I just be the winner’s maid for a week? _ Javelin said. The rest of the crew nodded fiercely, already imagining the things they could make the poor robot do.

“What are you going to offer, sir?” Sword asked curiously. The others leaned closer, anxious to see what their lord would add to the list of prizes. 

Meta Knight looked in his cape and pulled a shiny blue card out. “The key to my quarters,” he said calmly, the crew gaping at it. “It also unlocks my computer and a number of other rooms on this ship.”

“N-no way…” Axe murmured. “You’re being pretty overconfident, aren’t you, sir..?”

“I wouldn’t call it overconfident, more like having faith in my skill. After all, I’m playing myself. I can just do all the combos I do normally.” The Meta-Knights collectively winced, realizing the point he had made. So maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to challenge their lord in Smash.

* * *

_ Ten minutes and a lot of yelling later: _

“Gone, all gone! My career ruined!” Mace sobbed, his Joy-Con abandoned on his beanbag as he cried. 

“Nova above, sir…” Sailor Dee muttered, still in disbelief himself. “You took all of us out without even losing a single stock yourself!” Behind him, Blade fainted back onto his chair, his controller clattering onto the ground, while Sword kept staring at the victory screen in front of him.

“So I guess you get to keep everything then, sir…” Axe said resignedly. Javelin had stayed silent ever since the match ended, though he was hovering very high up. 

“I have no interest in any of this. You can take all of it back,” Meta Knight said with a wave of his paw. Everyone sighed, quickly taking all of their belongings back; Sword took both his and Blade’s seeing as the latter was still unconscious. “And Javelin, you already serve me, so you don’t need to do anything more. Get down here.” The robot slowly came down, still afraid that the puff would do something.

“However…” The crew tensed, hoping the knight wouldn’t take what he just said back. “I will take your offer of the ice cream, Dee.” Sailor Dee brightened, took Meta Knight’s paw, and ran off to the kitchen, tugging the knight along behind him. Axe, Mace, and Trident stared after them as Javelin joined Sword’s attempts to revive Blade. 

“So taking our mind off the intense beating Sir Meta Knight just gave us…” Mace said, turning back to the screen. “Who among us is actually the best at playing him?”

“Whoever came in second, of course,” Trident declared, saying it as if it were common knowledge. “What place did you come in, Axe?”

“Fourth, which is usually bad, but not as bad as I think it is now.”

Mace looked at the name skeptically. “You named yourself SharpestEdge? Why?”

“Because I wield an axe, stupid! It sounds better than BionicBasher!”

“I will have you know that it is an extremely fine name-”

“Guys! All we need to know is who came in second!” Trident gripped the TV screen and pressed his face to it. “SailingTheSeas? Don’t tell me that’s…”

The three of them looked at each other. “Sailor Dee???”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Switch names for everyone because I wanted to extend this at first but decided not to. I'll also include the placings for those of you who are curious :)
> 
> Meta (1st): Borb  
> Sailor Dee (2nd): SailingtheSeas  
> Javelin (3rd): BeepBoop  
> Axe (4th): SharpestEdge  
> Mace (5th): BionicBasher  
> Blade (6th): Knight1  
> Trident (7th): PokityPoke  
> Sword (8th): Knight2
> 
> Kirby and Meta's specials are pretty different, which is probably why Sword got last :P


	30. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fountain of Dreams can prevent nightmares, but can't do anything about the fears inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not think of a better title or summary so have that I guess :P

Dedede had no idea where he was as he looked around. He remembered drifting off after watching a movie with Meta Knight and heading back to his room, but the area around him was completely dark and it creeped him out. “ **No… not him,** ” a voice said, and this voice happened to be no stranger to the king.

“Dark Mattah! Where are ya?” Dedede shouted, bringing his hammer to his shoulder and looking around.

“ **It is not you we want… no… perhaps him…** ” A body slowly appeared, and though it was face-down and unconscious, the king could still tell who it was. 

“No! Don’t ya possess Mety Knight! Possess me all ya want, but don’t ya dare touch ‘im!” 

“ **This one has multitudes of power. Yes… he will make a fine host.** ”

“Stay away from ‘im, I’m warnin’ ya! I-I ain’t afraid to bash ya where ya float!” The dark orb disregarded his warning and plunged into the puff anyway. Meta Knight gasped slightly and his wings twitched before getting up and floating in an unnatural manner. 

“ **Yes…** ” The knight said, his voice seeping with darkness and sounding unnatural to the king. “ **He will be good for us.** ” The puff started floating, his wings limp and unmoving despite how quickly he was floating away.

“G-get back here! I won’t let ya hurt Mety Knight!” Dedede slammed his hammer down and was just about to shoot missiles at the retreating warrior when he turned, showing Meta Knight’s flickering eyes. They were changing from his usual yellow to the one eye that Dark Matter had, and the puff’s body was jerking and shaking in midair.

“Meta..? Come on, Meta, please, come back to me!”

“De… Dedede,  _ help _ \-  **you are mine now, stop resisting-** no, I will never be yours! Dedede, please help me-  **quiet, you-** no,  _ you _ be quiet-  **silence!** ” The king watched in horror as Dark Matter flew out and began engulfing the puff in inky darkness, his brain unwilling to believe what he was seeing.

“Dedede, mi rey, help…” Meta Knight pleaded, reaching one paw out to him. The penguin’s brain finally clicked, and he ran towards the puff in hopes of saving him. The orb of darkness began to rise into the sky and Dedede leapt as high as he could, reaching for the paw that was slowly getting covered in darkness. He grazed the warrior’s glove before falling back to the ground; the king curled up in a ball, crying. His knight’s last call had been for him, and he hadn’t answered.

~-~-~-~-~

Dedede awoke in the hall of his castle, the sun shining brightly and the sounds of a sword duel in the gardens beneath him. The king stood up, leaning on his hammer and trying to forget about everything he’d just seen. Meta Knight, the Dark Matter, how he’d failed his best knight… no. 

He couldn’t think about that now. The king walked to the balcony and looked down, fervently hoping to see the knight training or sparring with Bandanna Dee, anything normal to make him forget. 

Instead, what he saw was the possessed knight fighting Kirby, his wings still hanging as limply as they had before. The pink puff swung at him, and the warrior caught it with his paw, holding the blade in a tight grip. The two were locked together for a while, Kirby anxiously staring at the blood dripping from the other puff before he ripped his sword free. Dedede watched as the two went at it again, and from his memory of getting possessed by the selfsame matter, something in the knight’s body would soon split open and show a maw of sharp teeth. 

The king just didn’t expect it to be his mask. 

The penguin winced and turned away as Meta Knight charged at Kirby with the teeth gleaming. There was a loud  _ clang _ , and when Dedede got the courage to look, he saw the knight sprawled in the grass. Then the blue puff slowly stood up, his usually round paws lengthening into sharp claw-like fingers. He scratched Kirby across the face, sending him flying across the garden and into the wall. 

The child cried out, and when he finally got up, the warrior was rushing at him again with the mouth open and teeth ready to devour him whole. Kirby stabbed the inside of the mouth, making Dark Matter howl in pain, and Meta Knight (no, it wasn’t really him, Dedede had to remind himself) grabbed onto the blade again with his bare paws, trying to pull it out. Kirby gave a war cry as he slashed the sword up, dislodging the Dark Matter and sending the warrior careening into the grass. 

The child immediately threw his sword into the bushes, darting over to help him, and the king felt dizzy as he sat down and covered his face. “This can’t be happenin’, dear Nova this better be a dream, oh Nova’s grace…”

* * *

Dedede shot up from his bed with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat. As he panted for air, he glanced around his room nervously. There was no Kirby, no fight, no Dark Matter, no hurt and possessed Meta Knight… 

Meta Knight. 

What if it had truly happened, and it hadn’t just been a dream? The king scrambled out of bed, grabbed his hammer, and rushed through the halls in his pajamas. He reached the knight’s room in record time, and the penguin quickly opened the door- the warrior always left the main door unlocked in case of a threat. Dedede, seeing the empty living room, panicked even more. As soon as he found the door to Meta Knight’s bedroom, he slammed his hammer into it and broke through, startling the puff inside.

“Dedede, what in Nova’s name are you doing?!” The knight roared, his wings flaring and his silver eyes furious. Upon seeing how distraught the king was, the winged puff calmed down, inviting the penguin to sit on his bed.

“Was it another nightmare?”

‘Y-yeah… it was real bad…”

“Would you perhaps like to talk about it?”

“Later, Meta. Not now. Can I jus’... y’know… sleep with ya tonight, Mety? Jus’ for one night, I swear.”

“Of course. I’m certainly open to you coming in here more often-”

“Do ya really love me that much?”

Meta Knight winced, blushing intensely. “I- there is much more to it than that, but for the most part, yes… I am worried for you both in the platonic sense and in the romantic sense…”

Dedede chuckled and reached over to hug the knight, then hesitated. “Ya fine with me huggin’ ya tonight?”

“That’ll be fine, just go easy on me tomorrow with all the work and such, alright? I don’t exactly operate under six hours of sleep…”

The king sighed happily and pulled the puff closer. “Mmk, Mety Knighty. Ya deserve a break too.”

“I do hope you’ll talk about it tomorrow. Who’s the one that said sharing your problems makes them better?”

“Ya caught me there, Mety. I’ll tell ya tomorrow, but bring a lot o’ ice cream when ya come.”

“That’s never a good sign… at least try to get some sleep, alright?”

“Alright! G’night, Mety precious~”

“Dedede, enough with the flirting, would you? ”

“Can’t promise, but g’night anyway, Meta.”

“Goodnight to you as well, Your Majesty, and may the Fountain show you mercy.”


	31. Darkness Descends Ch. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fight. The fate of the universe is at stake, and Nightmare's got one last trick up his sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fight scene isn't as long as I hoped it would be, but it's still ok? I hope it is :P 
> 
> I feel as if this was really rushed, and it kind of is.

“Alright, whatever ya say, Kirbs! Hop in!” Dedede exclaimed, opening his mouth and sucking Kirby in. Then just like their very first experience with Nightmare, the king spat the child out in Nightmare’s direction, joining Meta Knight at the very top of the world.

“Kirby, those wings of yours… the Star Rod gave them to you?” The knight asked, just as enamored with them as the others had been.

“Yep! Actually had them the first time I fought with Nightmare, I was just too focused on taking Nightmare down to notice they were there,” the pink puff chirped, sending a star into the eldritch’s hand when it got closer to them. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling well enough to fight, Meta! Your wings look much better than they did before!”

“Thank you, Kirby. To be honest, I had missed flying and fighting like this.”

“Well, now you can let out to your heart’s content! Let’s take Nightmare down!” The two puffs zipped around with their wings, Dedede and the others providing covering fire with missiles, spears, and other projectiles as Kirby and Meta Knight got the big hits in.

“Impudent fools! Do you really think you can stop me, the manifestation of all evil?! Your efforts are all for nothing,  _ NOTHING! _ ” Nightmare shrieked, blasting everyone back with a harmless, but powerful, wave. Everyone slid to the edge of the world and watched as the eldritch roared, a purple aura slowly becoming visible around him.

“Is- is that some kind o’ magic we haven’t seen before?!” Dedede panicked. “Meta, what the heck is that?!”

“It’s some form of negative energy! Nightmare is someone who feeds off anger, hate, and other negative emotions, and absorbing them into himself is giving him more power!” The knight explained hurriedly. “If he absorbs too much, he-”

The king winced. “He’ll become unstoppable?!”

“He’ll lose his soul! The negative energies of others will drown out his own soul and he’ll turn into a mindless, extremely powerful monster of sorts! At this point, he’s basically absorbing Dark Matter!”

“Dark Matter?!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise, stepping back in shock.

“We gotta stop this then!” Kirby shouted, brandishing the Star Rod and charging up a shot. “Eldritch abomination or not, we have to try and save them! We saved Magolor, we saved Taranza, and we saved Susie and so many others! We have to at least try!” 

The warrior lunged to stop him. “Kirby, don’t! He’s too far gone! The Star Rod will just-” 

“I have to try, Meta! Just one shot!”

“Kirby, I said don’t! You’ll only be making it worse!” The child screamed out a war cry and let loose one of the biggest stars they had ever seen, flying in all its shining glory towards Nightmare. Kirby pumped his paw in success, but as the star got closer and closer to the eldritch, its color went from yellow to the same sickly purple Nightmare had been absorbing. 

The pink puff dropped his paw and watched with horror as the star was absorbed with no effect. As soon as the star was fully gone, Nightmare grew exponentially, looming over the world and emanating waves of dark power.

“ **Gurooohh… the universe is mine, MINE…** **Yes, no one can stop me… I’m…** ** _powerful_** **!!!** ”

“No!” Kirby shouted. “We can and we  _ will _ stop you, Nightmare! Popstar- no, the universe! The universe is depending on us!”

“ **As if you would ever be able to beat me now! Grroargh… With Dark Matter aiding me, there is nothing I cannot do! Challenge me in battle, and let’s see how long you last!** ”

“Challenge accepted! We won’t be the one to fall!”

~-~-~-~-~

Meta Knight and Kirby immediately flew into the air, stars and pinpricks of light trailing behind them. Dedede watched anxiously as balls of Galaxia’s holy fire formed around the knight and burned Nightmare with heat lasers. 

“What are you doing, Great King?! We have to back them up, come on!” Bandanna Dee exclaimed, hurling a spear into Nightmare’s hand. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m jus’ worried for Meta an’ Kirby. They’re always the ones who throw themselves into trouble fer us, an’ ya know how I am when I see Meta hurt…”

“Great King, as long as you believe in them, they’ll be fine! And this time, they’re not alone! We’re here to help them!”

“Yer right. We  _ are _ here! Alright, everyone, full force ahead!” Projectiles filled the air, drawing Nightmare’s attention. The eldritch fired an orb of darkness at them, and Dedede, after charging up his hammer, knocked it back towards him. 

It flew into one of Meta Knight’s fireballs, and the darkness literally melted into the fire. Galaxia’s spirit appeared briefly to help control it, and the knight launched it once he was ready, the sword’s spirit disappearing. The now-huge ball of fire slammed right into Nightmare, burning away some of the negative energy and hurting him immensely. 

The eldritch recoiled as a star hit him from the side, then swatted Meta Knight into the ground. Dedede halted his flow of missiles to worriedly run over to the grounded puff. 

“I saw what you did, and good job,” the knight praised, trying to catch his breath. “Galaxia’s holy fire can burn the energy that’s gathered around Nightmare. If we can get rid of it, the Star Rod should be able to defeat him like usual. As he is, most of the energy is gone. One more should get the rest of it, providing it’s just as big as the one I just fired off.”

“Sure! Ain’t like the blasts are damagin’ Nightmare much anyway. Get back out there, Meta! Ya got this!” The warrior nodded and took off with a giant gust of wind, instantly firing a sword beam towards Nightmare before gathering fire at Galaxia’s tip again. 

“Everyone, we got a new goal! Ya see that ball o’ fire Meta’s chargin’? Aim all yer shots at that instead!”

“Sire, shouldn’t we be firing at Nightmare instead?” Trident asked in a panic. “He’s the one we need to go after!”

“Yeah, but do ya see our shots causin’ damage? If we can help Meta charge his fire, we can take Nightmare down quicker! Aim all shots at Meta’s fire!”

“Yes, Great King!” The crew turned towards the airborne knight and started blasting the fireball that slowly got bigger and bigger. Kirby realized the importance of the fire as well, and he flew in front of Meta Knight and swiped at Nightmare any time he got close. 

The fireball got almost as large as it had been before, but when Dedede tried to shoot one last missile into it, his hammer clicked and a puff of smoke came out. 

“Wha- I’m outta missiles..?” The king asked himself in disbelief. “Meta needs a few more shots!”

“Mine won’t blast either!” Sailor Dee panicked.

“And neither will ours!” The rest of the crew exclaimed.

“Bandee, ya have to throw yer spear into it!” Dedede pleaded. “Please! I don’t think Meta can hold it much longer! That thing’s gonna blow on ‘im if he doesn’t launch it quick!”

“I can’t throw all the way up there!” Bandanna yelled. “Not even my spear copter can go that high!” There was a scream from up high, and they all looked up to see Kirby sending a star into the fireball, making it the size they needed. The king noted that he couldn’t even see Meta Knight anymore because of how bright the fire was, but the light quickly dimmed as the fire left Galaxia. 

The force of shooting said fire made the knight tumble backward and out of the air, falling right into Dedede’s arms. The crew gathered around them and cheered when they saw that the warrior was alright.

“I was lucky Kirby added to it when he did,” the puff sighed, holding up his singed right paw. “Any longer and this may have been beyond repair.” The king hugged him anyways, a big smile on his face.

Kirby landed in front of them and smiled. “I got worried when I didn’t see anything else flying into the fire! You’re not hurt, are you, Meta?”

“Galaxia’s spent all her power between the fire and the sword beams, so without her magic, I won’t be able to heal as quickly. However, it’s nothing that won’t be fixed by a few weeks of rest.” There was a loud roar of pain in the distance, and the party watched as the fireball absorbed the last bits of negative energy. 

Nightmare cried out as his newfound power left him and the purple aura faded. “How can this be?! I was strong! You insolent beings!!!” He screamed, shrinking from the massive being he had been to his usual size. His cloak flared open and he didn’t bother to close it, probably as a result of how weak he was feeling.

“Kirby! An opening!” Meta Knight yelled, having gone from Dedede’s arms to the top of his head and holding onto the pom-pom.

“Right! Let’s end this!” The child replied determinedly. He launched a star right into Nightmare’s whirlwind body, and as the eldritch disappeared, shrieking in pain, the world faded around them…

* * *

Meta Knight staggered to his feet, seeing everyone already awake and coming to their senses. Nightmare was nowhere to be seen. He looked at Galaxia, who had been dormant ever since his last shot, and sheathed her with a smile. 

She needed rest, as did everyone else, and his gaze traveled from her hilt to his right paw. It was still burned, a side effect of trying to control Galaxia’s fire, and when he gingerly touched it, he winced and decided it would be best not to. Then the base rumbled, pillars falling down around them, and everyone gathered close to him instinctively.

“Without Nightmare, the base is gonna collapse! We gotta get out of here!” Dedede exclaimed, holding Kirby in his arms. “Meta, ya know what to do!”

“Gather close!” Meta Knight commanded. Another pillar began to fall, and it crashed down just as the knight teleported away. The next thing everyone knew, they were in the Halberd’s control room and Nightmare’s base crumbled before their very eyes.

“We did it! Nightmare’s gone!” Kirby shouted happily, holding up the Star Rod. The wings on his back had disappeared, but everyone celebrated anyway.

“Alright! We gonna have a massive party when we get home!” Dedede crowed. “Then again, most o’ the folks back at Dreamland prolly don’t know what we jus’ did. Fer all they know, the dreams disappeared and Kirby’s on it like usual. But we’re havin’ a party anyway!” There was no sarcastic comment from Meta Knight and everyone looked around in confusion, thinking he had already left. 

“Sir..?” Trident started quietly, searching the control room. “Where’d he go?”

“Heh, here he is,” Sailor Dee laughed, gesturing towards the sleeping puff hidden behind a chair a few feet away. “With all the magic he must’ve used in the fight and the teleportation, it’s no wonder he couldn’t stay awake.”

“Imma get ‘im to the med bay,” the king chuckled, picking him up and stepping into the halls. Bandanna Dee and Kirby trailed him, probably to help. “Ya’ll can fly the Halberd, right?”

The crew saluted. “Yes, Great King!”

“Then set us on the path to Popstar. We’re goin’ home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare absorbing Dark Matter is a reference to a Kemco RPG I recently finished! If any of you know what game I'm referencing, shoot me a comment with the name of the game ;)


	32. Stupid Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight likes to consider himself as a wise person, but unfortunately, it all disappears once Dedede comes...
> 
> Set in gijinkaverse, which (with the next chapter) will make two chapters in a row in the gijinkaverse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written Dedede getting sick, I've written Meta Knight getting sick, so now let's write them both sick at the same time! :)
> 
> My explanation for this is that Dreamland is probably in the southern hemisphere of Popstar, hence it's winter in June.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Meta Knight coughed, glaring at the sick king besides him. 

“Hey now, goin’ out in the middle of winter an’ in the flu season no less jus’ to have a snowball fight? I don’t see whatcha mean, Mety,” Dedede chuckled, shivering from his fever.

“Why do I let you talk me into doing such stupid things…” The knight sneezed and hugged Dedede’s arm tightly, groaning.

The king wrapped his other arm around the shaking warrior despite how feverish they both were. “I’ll admit it was stupid but Nova above, I really didn’t think we’d get sick, much less this bad! Least Bandee said we could stay in the same bed…”

“I’m feverishly hot-”

“Damn right ya are, cutie pie~”

“Shut up, Dedede, you know what I mean! I just… mmh… I feel terrible…”

“So do I, but we’ll get through this together, alright? I know ya don’t like bein’ sick, an’ neither do I.” The door opened, and Kirby jumped inside, a happy grin on his face.

“Hi Meta! Hi Dedede! Are you guys feeling any better?” The child chirped, setting a box on the nearby table. Meta Knight buried his face into Dedede’s arm, tossing the blankets over himself, and the king laughed despite his sore throat as he pet the knight under the blankets.

“Still ain’t feelin’ too good,” Dedede said, leaning against the headboard of his bed to look at Kirby. “I’m jus’ happy I get to spend time with my precious Mety Knight!”

“I don’t have an aversion to spending time with you, but this doesn’t count as spending time with each other…”

“And why not, my dearest knight?”

The warrior barely stuck his face outside the blankets, and Kirby caught the slightest glimpse of his hair, damp with sweat. “Because I’m sick, and I hate it. The whole point of me spending time with you is so I can enjoy it, and I am not enjoying being sick.”

The child giggled at his friend’s attempt to hide his obvious love. “I brought chocolate! Will that help you feel any better, Meta?”

Meta Knight perked up, his ears flicking upwards, then slowly sank back in his embarrassment. “No… yes. Yes it would.”

“Why do ya keep tryin’ to hide yer sweet tooth, ya big nerd?” Dedede joked, ruffling the knight’s hair affectionately. “We already know ya like ice cream!”

“And chocolate!” Kirby added.

“An’ coffee, an’-”

“I get it, you two know about my sweet tooth. Just give me the chocolate, would you…” The child handed over the chocolate with a barely suppressed snicker, the king sharing in his amusement. The knight quickly unwrapped it and stuffed it in his mouth before dropping the wrapper on the floor and ducking back inside the blankets.

“Y’know, Meta, for someone who has a fever, I can still feel ya blushin’ pretty hard under there!” Said warrior popped up again, stuck his tongue out at Dedede, and buried his face into the pillow.

“Your wit hasn’t changed through being sick, has it, Meta?” Kirby giggled, climbing on the bed.

“I hate you both…” Kirby and Dedede laughed, much to Meta Knight’s embarrassment, and they only stopped when the king got into a coughing fit. The knight sat up, concern in his eyes as he tried to help. Then he started coughing too, his arm flying up and hitting Dedede in the face, and Kirby panicked. 

“Aah- what should I do, what should I do?! Uh, I should probably- wait, no-”

“Ge-get Ba-bandanna, Kirby…” The warrior commanded in between his coughs. “He-he’ll know…”

“Yeah! Of course Bandee’ll know!” Kirby rushed out the door, his legs moving as quickly as they possibly could. “Bandee!!!  _ BANDEEEEE!!! _ ” It was quiet for a while, then the child returned with Bandanna, the former screaming unintelligibly.

“They just started coughing and I have no idea what’s wrong with them!!! Bandee you have to help because I know you’re the castle medic and all and I don’t have a clue about medicine unless I have the Doctor ability and you can see that I don’t have it right now-”

“Ok, ok, I’ll check them out! Calm down, Kirby,” Bandanna Dee said, setting the bag of medicine he’d been carrying before on the ground. He pulled out a stethoscope and examined both king and knight thoroughly before taking it off. “They’re fine, thank Nova. It was just a temporary coughing fit, though given how they’re both pretty ill, you had an excuse to panic, Kirby.”

Kirby looked at the two, both burying their faces in their pillows and sighing tiredly. “So they’re alright..?”

“Perfectly fine, other than the fact that they still have a cold. Don’t hesitate to call me again if it looks like something’s wrong!”

“Alright, thanks, Bandee!” Bandanna smiled at Kirby even if it wasn’t obvious from the bandanna he wore across his face, and he left the room. 

“You guys look really tired. Maybe you should sleep?” The child suggested, noting how Dedede looked like he barely had the energy to move and Meta Knight wasn’t moving at all. 

“It’s jus’ the coughin’ fits that really take all o’ me an’ Mety’s energy,” the king sighed, one hand on the warrior’s back. “Nova knows we need to catch a few z’s.”

Kirby pouted and sat on the bed with them. “Aww… I hope you get better soon! If you’re tired, why don’t you sleep, guys?”

“What do you think we’ve been  _ trying _ to do this whole time…” The knight muttered, his voice muffled by the pillow. “Not even Galaxia’s magic can help here…”

“Hmm.... I don’t know if sick people can eat cake, but I’ll go and get some so we can share! How’s that sound, Meta, Dede- Dedede?” The child peered over at them and grinned when he saw they were already sleeping- and hugging each other, no less.

“I guess you could sleep this time,” Kirby said, smiling. “I don’t wanna wake them up early… I’ll just be super slow getting the cake!”

* * *

Meta Knight groggily woke up, shivering and trying to shift on the bed. Strangely enough, he was comfortably warm (no thanks to his raging fever) and when he looked, Dedede’s arm was snugly wrapped around him. Dedede himself was still snoring away, not realizing that he was using his favorite knight as a pillow. 

The knight squirmed, trying to get out; had he been at full strength, he could’ve easily worked his way out. With how weak he felt, however, it was virtually impossible. 

The king rolled on top of him, and the warrior had to push him back as much as he could. Unfortunately, the large man had other ideas, and he squished Meta Knight entirely. The winged man yelped in surprise and tried to escape, but in the end, all he could do was position himself perpendicular to the king, freeing everything but his legs. His arms and part of his upper body were dangling off the side of the bed, but as long as he wasn’t squished under Dedede’s body, then that was completely fine. 

The door creaked open, and Kirby peered in, grinning when he saw the knight awake. The child scampered over and held up the cake box, a few plates and forks stacked on top of it. “I don’t know if you and Dedede are allowed to eat cake while you’re sick,” Kirby whispered, “but I figured that being sick probably has you feeling really bad, so I got you cake!”

“Ah, if Bandanna saw us now, he’d certainly get mad,” the warrior chuckled, opening the box and putting a slice on his plate. “Luckily for us, he isn’t.”

“Does Dedede want cake too? Or are you just going to ‘share’ it?” Kirby put air quotes when he said “share” and giggled madly as Meta Knight blushed furiously. 

“We will do no such thing,” he quickly insisted, turning and poking the king in the side with his still-clean fork. “Dedede. Kirby brought us cake, and if you want a piece, you’ll wake up right now.”

“Mmh, whaddaya want, caballerito… lemme sleep, will ya..?”

“Come on, mi rey, Kirby brought us-”

“Cake!” The king shot up and looked at Kirby excitedly, laughing as he saw the cake box and the slice already in his knight’s hands. “I knew I smelled chocolate cake somewhere!”

“Wonderful,” the warrior quipped, glaring witheringly at him. “Now would you please get off me before my legs fall asleep?” 

Dedede shifted and saw Meta’s legs under him, then laughed sheepishly. “Whoops! Musta rolled in my sleep or somethin’. Apologies, my favoritest, most handsomest knight!” Meta Knight, clearly flustered, mumbled something close to “apology accepted” and began eating his cake. Kirby grinned and handed a cake-laden plate to the king before sitting on the nearby chair and helping himself to the rest of the box.

“So Meta, now that ya have cake, bein’ sick ain’t all that bad, right?”

“Well, I have cake… and you. My life is complete.” The knight winked and kissed Dedede, who was caught off guard and instantly reduced into a flustered, shaky mess. 

“I-I’m glad to have ya too, Mety Knight,” the king said, pressing a kiss to his knight’s head and smiling. “But I thought flirtin’ was  _ my _ forte! How dare ya steal from me, the royal king o’ Dreamland!”

The warrior stuffed the last piece of cake in his mouth and smirked. “Oh apologies, your Majesty. Do forgive me.”

“Well! Ya stole from me, so now I gotta punish ya by royal decree!” Dedede set his empty plate aside and leapt on Meta Knight, starting to tickle him mercilessly. The knight squeaked in surprise (much like a bat, Dedede noted amusedly) and started laughing as the king scrabbled his fingers across his stomach.

“Dededeee- ahahaha! Please, no more- I yield, I yield!!!” The warrior yelped, barely able to get his sentences out because of how hard he was laughing. 

“Serves ya right for stealin’ from me,” Dedede declared airily, leaving Meta Knight breathlessly chuckling and gasping for air. “It does make a welcome change from me always flirtin’ with ya though.”

“I regret telling you where I was ticklish…”

“Aww, don't be like that, Mety! Ya know ya love me~”

“Unfortunately, yes I do.” 

Kirby giggled and grabbed their empty plates. “I'll throw the box away. Try not to murder each other while I'm gone, alright guys?”

“Can’t make any promises, Kirby, but I’ll sure try if Meta here ain’t gon’ pull out any weapons!”

“I don’t even have any weapons on me… Galaxia’s in my room, and has been ever since we were struck down by this Nova-accursed flu…”

“Then I’ll play fair and leave him alone! ‘Sides, I’m feelin’ kinda sleepy… C’mere and lemme hug ya, Mety Knight!” The knight reluctantly let Dedede hug him before closing his eyes and relaxing. Kirby’s smile got wider as he watched them cuddle, and the child quietly exit the room once he knew for sure they were asleep.

“They sure are cute together… still, I hope they get better. Goodnight, you two…”


	33. First Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small glimpse in Meta's time in the Mirror World. It may have scarred him for life, but it wasn't all bad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was HC-based, and if you would like to see the HC, head on over to my Tumblr! :)
> 
> Besides, Shadow Kirby needs more love-

It had been drilled over and over into his head; the Mirror World was a cruel place, and you had to hurt people to survive. 

But through his own research and countless trips to forbidden temples, Shadow Kirby found that there were other worlds, ones where people were nice to each other simply because they could. One of those worlds was Dreamland, and though all temples and books bearing its name had been destroyed, Shadow had been able to piece together that it was one of the most peaceful places in the Gamble Galaxy- best of all, it was on the other side of their Dimensional Mirror. 

Alas, he hadn’t found the mirror yet, and as each month went by, his hopes for visiting Dreamland- and thus, meeting its people- were slowly dashed. Then he saw the new arrival’s first fight in the colosseum, and Shadow immediately perked up upon seeing them. He looked just like Dark, but much more colorful and immaculate than Dark could ever hope to be. He was so transfixed at looking at the new fighter that he almost missed the announcer’s words. 

“And now we have Meta Knight of Dreamlaaaand! Yes,  _ the _ Dreamland!” The announcer shouted, the crowd going wild. Shadow, joining in their wild cheering was simply ecstatic. Someone from Dreamland, and a knight just like Dark! As the fight started and continued, Shadow was amazed at how well Meta Knight controlled his sword and his flight, and he winced each time the Dreamland knight got battered by the ice monster. 

Finally, the warrior from another world won, and Shadow stood, clapping and cheering. Dark Meta Knight said something- he wasn’t quite sure what it was, as he didn’t pay the Mirror World king any mind- but Shadow did catch that Meta Knight would be back. The child pumped his fist and ran off, hoping to sneak into the dungeons before they closed. 

* * *

Meta Knight slumped against the bars of the cage, feeling worn out after one of his harder fights. Granted, none of them posed any threat to his life, but they could definitely hurt him- his latest fight was proof of that. He grabbed his sword arm and carefully eased it into a more comfortable position, trying his best to ignore the sudden jolts of paralyzing pain. 

Upon first analysis, his arm was somewhere between fine and utterly shattered. The relief in Galaxia’s hum, however, told the knight that his arm was closer to fine than he thought it was. “Psst! Behind you, colorful Meta!” A voice whispered from behind him. 

Meta Knight turned his head and saw a small gray child similar to Kirby. “Y-yes? Who are you?” He asked.

“Quiet! You’ll get me in trouble! Here, just take this.” The child slipped a large chunk of bread through the bars of the cage, and the warrior quickly grabbed it and ate it.

“I- thank you,” the knight replied, making sure to keep his voice to a minimum. “As I said before, who are you?”

“I’m Shadow Kirby. You’re from Dreamland, aren’t you? I heard that people from Dreamland are super nice, so I wanted to help you since you’re stuck here.”

“There aren’t many people in the Mirror World like you, are there? Most of the ones I’ve met here are crude and rash.”

“Well… most everyone is like that here. We were raised to be that way. As for me, I’m just a child, so I wouldn’t mind a little love here and there.”

“I can see why. And Nova above, I just noticed you’re standing on a ladder to be up here. Didn’t you say you were going to get in trouble?” 

Shadow looked at the ladder he was precariously perched on, then to the wall he was gripping. “I have mirror magic, much like Dameta does. I can disguise things and make it seem like I’m not here, but if the guards see you talking to someone who isn’t there, they’ll know it’s me.”

“Dameta… Is that Dark?”

“Yep! He’s the king, and he took control of the Mirror World years ago with his battleship. He didn’t get that injured but- oh holy Nova what happened to your arm?”

Meta Knight sighed, trying to shift his arm and hide the wound. “The rock monster with a tail that weighs like five hundred pounds…”

“And it smashed your  _ arm _ ?? Wow, that must’ve hurt! Alright, I’ll go get something, be right back!” Shadow slipped off the ladder and ran off, not bothering to take the ladder with him. 

“Wait, Shadow, where are you-” The knight groaned, realizing the child was already gone. “Well… nothing I can do but wait, I suppose…”

~-~-~-~-~

Shadow appeared in the cage with little warning, and Meta Knight scrambled to the back of the cage in surprise, paying little mind to the massive blast of pain coming from his arm. “I got your medical supplies,” Shadow happily whispered, looking glad to be helping someone for a change. “Do you need some help? I could wrap it for you.”

“That would be nice, thank you. I can barely move it myself,” the knight admitted, extending his sword arm towards the child. “I take it you're a good healer?”

Shadow opened the kit and started tending to the warrior’s injuries, worriedly noting just how much of them there were. “No, that's Dedede! He's really quiet but he's been teaching me a lot about first aid and stuff. I think he likes me, but Dameta’s really mean to him.”

“I miss Dedede… my Dedede. He’s loud and brash, but he’s a good king, I suppose. I regret trying to take the throne, seeing how much he’s changed now. I could go on for days about what he’s like, but I won’t bore you with such ramblings.” Shadow grinned, trying to conceal his laughter. “What is it, Shadow? Was it something I said?”

The gray child mimicked kissing someone, then smirked. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

Meta Knight flinched, looking away and trying to hide his blush. “...Yes. He loves me too, and I'm very happy with him.”

Shadow giggled, secured the bandages on the knight’s arm, and started tending to other injuries. “Daww! You two sound really cute together! I wish Dameta and Dedede would get along… they do nothing but argue all day!” 

“This is the Mirror World. I would be surprised if they  _ didn’t _ argue all day.” The knight relaxed against the back of the cage, and Shadow slapped one last bandage on before smiling and putting the kit away in his pockets. The warrior smiled back and slowly took the gray child in for a hug. Shadow was unsure how to respond, then copied Meta Knight’s movements and hugged him back.

“This is nice,” Shadow admitted, his voice muffled by the knight’s armor. “It’s warm and comforting.”

The warrior smiled, remembering how Kirby used to enthusiastically hug him back in Dreamland. “That’s how hugs are. They are quite nice, especially if they’re from a loved one. It’s just so common in Dreamland that I never truly paid it any mind…”

“I’ll visit again then! So we can both get some-”

“SHADOW!!! Where are you, you impudent fool?!” Dark roared, coming around the corner. “Damn it, I’ll kill you if I find you!”

The child, in a panic, tugged at Meta Knight’s cape. “You have to hide me! Dark isn’t past torturing me if he does find me! He can see right through my mirror magic!”

Meta Knight scowled and spread his cape. “Come. There is an entire dimension inside, and all I ask is that you stay still and not get lost. Do you understand me?”

“He’s going to torture you too if he finds out,” Shadow said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Why help me?”

“Well, you helped me. There’s no reason for me not to return the favor. Coming in?” The knight lifted his cape more and Shadow crawled in, but not before gently nuzzling the other’s face. Dark came closer and Meta Knight dropped his cape, effectively hiding the child from everyone’s view. The mirror knight looked around with a snarl, then glared up at his counterpart.

“Alright, you blue bastard,” Dark growled, looking up at him pointedly. He scanned the area, then looked back up again. “Have you seen Shadow?”

The blue knight cocked an eyebrow, looking down nonchalantly. “Considering I’ve been down here almost the whole time, no, I haven’t seen him.”

“Shadow Kirby. He should look like your world’s Kirby, but grayer, sadder, and a giant pain in the ass. Have you seen him?”

“I haven’t seen anyone except the guards and you.”

“Stop acting so high and mighty! I can sense the mirror magic, and he’s definitely passed by here! Where is he?”

“I don’t know. Now conduct your search somewhere else, I need to sleep before your guards drag me back out to your arena again.” Dark screamed in frustration and ran off, and once Meta Knight was sure he was gone, he lifted his cape and let Shadow crawl out. 

‘I really thought he’d catch me,” Shadow sighed, sitting there and wrapping himself in his mirror magic. “I gotta go now. I hope you’ll do alright, and I’ll try to visit again if I can! Bye, Meta Knight, and uh… would you like to be my friend? My first  _ real _ friend?”

“I would be honored to be your friend, Shadow. Please stay safe,” the knight warmly said, hugging the child again. “And do try not to incur Dark’s wrath this time.”

“I’ll try! Bye, Meta!” Shadow phased out of the cage, and the warrior waved for a good few minutes before leaning on the cage bars and closing his eyes.

* * *

_ After the fall of Dark Mind: _

Meta Knight found himself trailing his world’s Kirby in the skies- all four versions of him. The regular, pink one was chattering on and on about how massive the Mirror World was and what manner of foes they had to face. The others were pitching in as well, each of them stating a different boss and a different world. 

The knight was barely listening though, trying to forget about how terrible he felt, both inside and outside. His wings felt worse with each passing flap and he couldn’t stop himself from gasping for air, but luckily, Kirby noticed this. The pink child flew over with his Warp Star and allowed the warrior to hang on to the other side before zipping to the mirror. Meta Knight ungraciously hung on it, trying not to fall to his death, when he heard a very familiar voice. 

“Meta! Meta Knight!!” The voice yelled happily, the sound of stars mixed in with it. “Wait up!”

The knight turned to see Shadow catching up with his Warp Star. “Shadow, you’re here. Nova above, I thought Dark would’ve kept you chained,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. 

“Nope, he was… shattered, so I’m hoping I can fix him, even though he hates me. I just thought I’d say goodbye, and besides, I wanna see where the Dimensional Mirror is anyway! Just so I can visit. You know, I never really thought the mirror would be in the skies.” The gray child looked at the shining mirror before them, 

“Sweet! We’d love to have you over,” Kirby chirped, waving as his other selfs went through the mirror. “Bye Shadow!” The pink child went through the mirror, Meta Knight still looking forlornly at him. As the last glimpses of his new Dreamland friends faded, Shadow sighed, beginning to return on his Warp Star.

“Nova, Meta Knight’s really upset… I hope he’ll be alright.”


End file.
